Unsolicited
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: It's hard for a child to lose a parent, but having to move to a different village doesn't make it any better. -Rated for Sexual Content- Akito x Natsumi Note: An OC story
1. Casualty

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter One_

-Casualty-

Fuck.

That was really the only word he could think of to sum up the situation that he and his friends were in right now. His hair continuously slapped the sides of his face as he felt his body falling down what seemed like an endless drop. And he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes and see where it was he would land.

Fuck.

It was just supposed to be a simple recon mission, nothing more, nothing less. The Hokage had said they would be back in three day's time. No big deal. A piece of cake for three ninjas with their experience.

And yet it hadn't been that simple. They had been set up by the inn keeper, their location given away to the enemy ninjas. On top of that, retrieving the information they had been sent to get was a lot more difficult than presumed, the entire base filled with traps and secret passages, not to mention the amount of ninjas that were patrolling the place.

Normally that wouldn't be too bad for him, but with Naruto and Sakura as his team mates, silence was next to impossible. Not that Sakura couldn't be quiet when the moment called for it, but it was a foreign concept to the loudmouthed blonde. He was quiet at first, but then the idiot just had to see something shiny and cool, get distracted, stub his toe, and then fall down a flight of stairs. Though, he had to give him credit, Naruto didn't really make that much noise during the entire thing, only a startled gasp, a yelp as he rolled down the stairs, and a groan when he hit the floor.

But of course, Sakura then opened her big mouth and yelled at him, hitting him over the head when she reached the bottom of the stairs and explaining to him that they needed to be absolutely quiet for this mission. That was when he had decided to intervene and tell them both that silence was of no use now, because he could sense the enemy on their way.

It had been hell to get out of there, but they made it. After years of training together as a team, it was second nature for them to be able to sense one another's movements and techniques. The way they fought together was like clockwork, despite the fact that he had been gone for three years, and five years after his return Sakura had gone off to Suna to marry Gaara, the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand.

He was glad that she had finally found the happiness she deserved in the redhead. He and Gaara had been distantly polite to each other in the beginning, but eventually found that they weren't so different, and had quickly formed a friendship that rivaled both of their bonds with Naruto. For even though the blonde had helped both of them through their darkness to become better men, he didn't fully understand what it was that they had gone through growing up. But they understood each other. Like Gaara had said at the Chuunin Exams all those years ago, they had the same eyes.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when a searing pain went through his entire body as he hit the ground. He couldn't move. He could barely even breathe. And based on the amount of blood that he had lost, he was certain about one thing. He, Uchiha Sasuke, was going to die.

"Fuck." He cursed aloud.

The sound of Sakura's shrill cry of his name was enough to cause him to open his eyes, though it didn't do him much good. Everything was blurry and unfocused, probably because of the blow he had taken to the back of his head. Suddenly Sakura's face came into view, and he could feel her warm, soothing healing chakra beginning to enter his skull. His vision slowly began to clear, until he could distinctly make out the worry and concern on the pink haired medic's face. It was then that he knew with even more certainty that he was going to die. Because no matter how badly Sakura tried to hide the truth from him, he could clearly read her thoughts through her expressive emerald eyes.

"Sakura, stop. Save your chakra." He ordered, his voice hoarse from the blood that had flowed down his throat.

"No!" she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm not just going to let you die Sasuke! Not after everything we've been through!" she said, moving her glowing hands to the lacerations on his chest. It was useless though, because half of his internal organs were just hanging out for all the world to see. He could actually feel the pieces of dirt that had gotten on his intestines.

With a speed he didn't really feel, he reached up and grabbed both of her hands in his bloodied ones, pulling them away from him. "Don't waste what little chakra you have left saving someone who isn't meant to be saved. You will need it for the journey home." He whispered.

"But, Sasuke-"

"No." he said sternly. She sniffed and nodded, signaling that she would do as he wished. Carefully, so as not to jostle him too much, she moved his head into her lap in order to make him more comfortable.

"Where…is Naruto?" he asked.

"He's using the Kyuubi's power to kill the rest of them. When he saw you falling, he snapped, and told me to come help you. Even though I was already on my way." She explained.

Now that she mentioned it, he could hear a bunch of commotion happening a ways off, and knew that it was all being caused by his blonde brother. What a show off. He looked straight up, taking in the detail of Sakura's face, as well as the trees of the forest they were in. "I'm going to die." Sasuke commented.

"Don't say that." Sakura ordered, looking down at him sternly. "You'll be fine. When Naruto is done we'll take you to Tsunade-shishou, and she'll fix you right up. I promise."

"You shouldn't lie." The corner of his mouth tilted up slightly. "Not to a dying man."

"Sasuke!" she exclaimed, smacking him lightly on the shoulder, one of the few places that wasn't bleeding or broken. He chuckled, but then stopped as his body was wracked with coughs. Sakura tried to prop him up a bit, so that he wouldn't choke on the blood that was flying from his mouth, and then laid him back down when he was done.

They sat there in silence after that, Sakura looking around and keeping most of her attention in the direction of Naruto's battle, and Sasuke just staring off into space. He could feel his energy leaving him, and as his breathing began to get more labored, he knew he didn't have much time left.

"S-Sakura." He murmured, getting her attention.

"What is it Sasuke?"

"I…need you to do something for me…once I'm gone."

She took his hand and held it between both of hers. She wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, but she could tell that he wouldn't make the journey home. Even though she could tell that Naruto had just about wrapped everything up. "Anything."

"Please…take my son with you to Suna, and raise him as if he were your own. Gaara…is the only one," Sasuke winced as pain lanced through his midsection once more, "who can…keep him from the darkness that…attracts all Uchihas. He will…be able to understand Akito…better than anyone else."

"Sasuke…" she breathed out, one of her tears falling and landing on his cheek before sliding off and hitting the ground.

"And…I want you to love him. You are the only one I know who will be able to love my son no matter what he does, because that is your gift. You love unconditionally." He began to cough once more, though it was strained, and when he was finished his breathing sounded wheezy.

"He will resent me." Sasuke told her. "He will be upset with my decision, but…it must be done. Tell me you'll do that…for me."

Her grip around his hand tightened. "I promise."

"Thank you." He smiled, visibly relaxing, despite the extreme amount of pain he was in. "I know…that living with your family…will be good…for him."

Another of Sakura's tears hit his cheek then. "Don't speak Sasuke. You need to save your energy." She looked up then when Naruto was suddenly on the other side of the wounded Uchiha.

"Sasuke-teme! What the hell are you doing, dying on me?" he asked, tears already formed in the blonde's eyes.

"Dobe." Sasuke scoffed, coughing slightly. "Death is the only way to get away from you." He began to cough again. Sakura elevated him a bit more, so that he wouldn't choke on his own saliva.

When his coughs died down he was taking shallow breaths, and Sakura knew that it would be soon. Naruto smiled slightly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You're not just gonna die after everything. I won't let you."

The corner of the ebony haired man's lip tilted up a bit, but he didn't have the strength to hold his smile. "Stupid." He took another few breaths before continuing, not wanting to cough again, because it was painful.

He looked up then, so that he could see both of his teammate's faces. "I…am glad…that my last moments were with you two." He said. "You…will always be…my best friends…and my family…"

Both were crying now, tears streaming down their faces as they listened to what they knew were the last words of Uchiha Sasuke. He trained his dark gaze on Sakura, who was still holding his hand, and trying to indiscreetly check his pulse, which was so weak that she could barely feel it.

"Please tell…Akito…that…I love him…and…that I couldn't…have asked…for a better…son." He said, the pauses between his words being labored breaths.

"I promise." She whispered.

His eyelids began to droop, and his head rolled to the side. Naruto shot forward a bit, reaching out to hold up Sasuke's head. "Sasuke…"

"Hey." The ebony haired man tried to smile. "I'll see you guys again…I promise. Just…don't be too annoying…brother." He teased the blonde.

"You know how I am." Naruto sniffed, rubbing a finger beneath his nose.

Sasuke chuckled, which was a mistake, because he knew what would come. The coughs. They seemed to last forever, not only to him, but to Naruto and Sakura as well. And this time, when they died down, the Uchiha's eyes closed, and his breathing stopped.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, moving her hands to check his pulse. Then she moved them to his neck and checked once more. "Sasuke!" she yelled when she didn't feel a thing.

"Damnit!" Naruto shouted, hitting the ground with his fists. Then he grabbed onto the Uchiha's shirt and began to shake him. "Quit fooling around Sasuke! It's not funny!" he continued to shake him.

Sakura sniffed and placed her hand on his arm. "Naruto…it's too late. There's nothing we can do." She said softly.

The blonde set Sasuke's body back on the ground, and began to cry, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Sakura was crying as well, and for a while they both just sat there, crying over their dead teammate until they couldn't cry any more.

"Sakura-chan…what…did he say to you…while I was fighting?" Naruto asked softly, looking up at her. He wouldn't lie, he was a little jealous of the pink haired medic for getting the chance to spend more time with Sasuke in the end than he did, but he quickly reminded himself that while she was off in Suna, visiting every few years, he was in Konoha with Sasuke. Knowing this, his jealousy disappeared.

"He…wants me to take Akito to Suna to live with me and Gaara. And our kids. He said that Gaara was the only one who would be able to raise Akito to be a good man, and that I was the only one who could love someone else's child as if it were my own." She said, her gaze on Sasuke's face, which was peaceful for once.

"I guess that makes sense. Akito would just go crazy if he lived with me." Naruto smiled slightly. Sakura nodded in agreement, and for a while longer, they sat there, each sorting their jumbled thoughts, until eventually, they stood.

Silently, they took out their blankets and wrapped the body in them, so that it would be concealed and protected from the elements on the way back to Konoha. Naruto lifted him over his shoulder before beginning the journey home.

Sakura just sighed to herself, knowing that the entire village would be shocked by The Avenger's sudden death. Actually, the entire ninja world would be shocked, especially Konoha's closest ally, Suna. The pink haired woman felt a tear slide down her cheek, but it had nothing to do with her own sadness. It was for Gaara. Because when he found out, he would be devastated. He had so little friends, and Sasuke was actually one of his closest ones.

Those thoughts in mind, she began to work out in her head exactly what she would say to Gaara in the letter she'd send him. Hopefully he would get to Konoha soon, because she didn't know how long she'd be able to stay strong for Naruto, or for the deceased Uchiha's only child.


	2. Notice

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Two_

-Notice-

"Kazekage-sama." A messenger spoke warily as he stepped into the office of his leader. Jade eyes shifted up from the papers on the desk and zeroed in on the grim man.

"What?" the redheaded Kage replied.

With a fortifying breath, the Suna shinobi stepped forward and offered out a scroll. "It's a letter from Konoha sire. It's from your wife."

Gaara's eyes widened a fraction and he reached forward, taking the scroll from him and tearing it open. He couldn't help the panic that filled him. Had she been hurt? Had Konoha been attacked? Every bad scenario played in front of him all at once before he could even roll it out completely. Before his sanity could take a turn for the worst, he began reading.

_Gaara,_

_Something terrible has happened. Naruto, Sasuke and I were just hanging out, and for old time's sake Tsunade-shishou gave us a mission. It was just supposed to be a simple recon mission, but there were many unexpected surprises, and things took a turn for the worst while we were on our way back to the village. I'll explain more in person, but all in all, Sasuke is dead. I need you to come to Konoha as soon as possible, not only because there are some things we need to discuss, but because a lot is about to change. I love you, and I am perfectly fine. So don't worry. Just get here as soon as you are able. _

_All My Love,_

_Sakura_

Gaara stared at the paper, laying it down on his desk carefully. He felt like he'd had the wind knocked from him. Sasuke was dead? Something pinched in his gut, and he actually felt immense sorrow wash over his entire being. He couldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. It couldn't even be that simple. The redhead frowned and finally took notice of the man still in the room. "Get out." He ordered.

The shinobi did as he was told instantly and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Gaara glanced back down at the paper and reread it to make sure he hadn't imagined it. "Sasuke can't be dead." He said softly to himself, leaning back in his chair and running one of his hands through his messy locks.

Sasuke wasn't supposed to die. At least not anymore. Over the last thirteen years, he and the Uchiha had actually become pretty good friends. So this was something that filled him and his heart with grief, emotions he only began to feel for people because of his love and wife, Sakura.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, covering his eyes as he tried to compose himself and keep reigns on his raging sand. After a while of this meditative state, he rose from his seat and took the letter, folding it and placing it in his pocket. He needed to get to Konoha as soon as possible, because he knew his wife needed him to be there, if not for Sasuke, then for her.

Straightening up his desk, he then left the room and headed down the steps of the Kage tower, stopping in front of the receptionist. "I'm going to Konoha. You don't need to know why yet, but I must retrieve Sakura. I will explain everything to the council once I return. Tell Temari she's in charge, and have Shikamaru take over in the defense head." He told her sharply, beginning to walk off once more towards the front door.

"But Kazekage-sama," the little brunette called after him. "What of your children?"

"They're coming with me." He said, letting his sand pick up and whisk him away into the warm desert air. When he formed again, he was in front of the Suna Ninja Academy. It was just about time for his two youngest to be getting out, but he didn't have time to wait. So he went into the school and to the room he knew his daughters were in, stopping in the doorway. One of the young children pointed excitedly towards the entrance, which then turned every eye in the room.

As Gaara walked in, the teacher seemed to brighten up, greeting her Kazekage with an outstretched hand. "Kazekage-sama, to what do we owe this visit?" she asked, smiling happily. After all, it was an honor for the highest ranking ninja in the village to come and visit the young ones. Unless, of course, his own young ones were in the class.

"Hi daddy!" a small, pink haired girl waved. She was about eleven years old, her hair cut short like her mother's, and her eyes shining jade orbs. There was an exact lookalike beside her, who looked interested in the situation, but her bored façade stayed the same for the most part. The only difference between the two was their expressions, demeanor, and the length of their hair.

Gaara gave his twins a small wave and shifted his gaze back to their teacher. "I've come to get my daughters. Something has come up." He explained and then looked back to his girls. "Satomi. Natsumi, come here. We have to go home."

The younger twin, Natsumi, got up in an instant, hopping over the desk and running to her father, standing in front of him proudly. Satomi was much more collective in her advance, but made it over to him nonetheless. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"We'll talk about it when we get home. Come on." He told them, gesturing for them to go ahead.

Their teacher waved and continued class as they left the room. Satomi and Natsumi walked on either side of their father until they reached their enormous house. When they walked in, Gaara stopped, making his daughter do the same and look back at him in waiting. "I want you to go upstairs and pack." He said, frowning. "We're going to Konoha."

"Like on vacation?" Natsumi gasped, jumping up and down. "It was so pretty there!"

Satomi glared at her sister, making her stop, since obviously, by the look on Gaara's face, it was not a vacation. Natsumi stopped and looked up at her dad, frowning as well, her good mood gone. "Did something bad happen?" she asked.

"Is it mom?" Satomi looked slightly alarmed.

"No." He nodded. "Something bad happened, and mom needs us to go and be there for her, because one of our friends died. So I need you to go pack and hurry." Gaara sighed and walked past them and into the living room. He looked around and sensed for his son, and once he felt the sand, he disappeared and formed in the backyard, where the young redhead was training. "Toshiro." Gaara said loudly, to make sure he had his son's attention.

The younger male stopped in what he was doing and looked back to see his father, smiling his winning smile. "Hey Dad, you're home early. Want to train?" he asked, running over and slowing when he saw his father's expression. "Is everything ok?"

"No. We're going to Konoha, so I need you to go and pack. Your mom needs us there as soon as possible, so once you are done make sure your sister's are completely packed and ready downstairs, and then we'll leave." Gaara said, only growing more wary. The more his travel plans progressed the more final this entire situation felt, and he didn't want it to feel like this. Because in all honesty, he wouldn't be able to believe Sasuke was dead until he saw the body himself. And after all, _he'd_ come back, so there was a chance…right?

Toshiro nodded obediently and headed into the house, with Gaara close behind. The young boy headed up the steps and disappeared, and so Gaara went into his own shared bedroom and into the closet, where he threw together the bare essentials, making sure he had everything he needed. He packed some things for Sakura as well, just in case.

Once all that was done, he readied himself for the journey and headed out to the front entryway, seeing his three children ready. "Alright. Are you ready?" he asked them. They nodded wordlessly, looking between one another. Gaara took Satomi's hand and then Toshiro's in the other, while the eldest son grabbed his youngest sister's hand before they all disappeared in a swirl of sand.

* * *

Sakura sighed softly to herself as she began to put together some sandwiches for lunch. Since returning to the village with Sasuke's body, she had barely slept a wink. First she and Naruto had had to take his body to the morgue to be cleaned and prepared, and then they'd had to explain everything to Tsunade. Once all that was done, Naruto had gone home to tell his family about the news, while Sakura went back to her hotel room to shower. It had been late at night, and so she and Naruto had taken a bit of time before heading over to the elder Uchiha's house and waking Sasuke's twelve year old son to tell him the news.

That was about three days ago, and since then she had moved her things into the Uchiha house in order to watch over Akito. It was pretty awkward, because she didn't know the boy that well, and no matter what she tried, he pushed her away. It was slightly ironic though, because his behavior was so similar to that of his father, despite the fact that she knew they didn't have that great of a relationship. It made her sad, but she knew that Sasuke had loved his son, even if Akito didn't know it himself.

Sasuke's words flashed through her head then, and a sad look came to her face as she finished the sandwiches, putting all of the ingredients away. She hadn't heard from Gaara, but she knew that he was close, she could feel it. That thought alone was enough to keep her from breaking down and crying, something she hadn't allowed herself to do since returning to the village.

She got out two glasses and filled them with water, adding a few ice cubes to them before setting everything on the small table that was in the kitchen. Then she left the kitchen and walked towards the back of the house, where Sasuke had installed a training room. She opened the door, revealing a young boy who looked scarily similar to his deceased father, save the deep forest green of his eyes. He was working on some katas, training vigorously as he had ever since hearing the news of his sire's death.

"Akito," she said, getting his attention. He stopped his movements and looked at her, remaining silent. "Lunch is ready, so come into the kitchen." She told him, turning around and leaving, knowing that he would be there shortly.

He was very quiet for a child, and very obedient. Ever since she had arrived at his home, the young Uchiha had been coldly distant to her. He never spoke to her unless she asked him a question, and he never asked her for anything. In fact, every morning when she had gotten up, he was in the kitchen making the both of them breakfast. And it was actually pretty good.

She had told him that he didn't have too, for she was more than capable of cooking for him, but he told her that it wasn't as a kindness to her. It was because he was hungry, and he didn't have time to wait for her to 'dawdle and do other stupid stuff that women do'. That had made her angry, but she hadn't said anything, figuring that he was just taking his upset over Sasuke's death out on her. She also had to remind herself that he had grown up without a mom, and so the only things he had to go on about women were the things that Sasuke had said, and that wasn't very promising.

Entering the kitchen, she sat down and began to eat, and a few minutes later Akito joined her. They ate in silence for a while, until Sakura spoke up. "So, you've been training a lot lately. Anything in particular you've been working on?"

"Hn." Was all the boy said as he took another bite of his sandwich.

Sakura decided to try again. "Well, what do you want to do the rest of the day? We could go to the park, or the marketplace. I heard that-"

"That's stupid." He interrupted her, not even bothering to look up from his plate. "I am not a child, and so have more important things to do than walk around the village being coddled by someone who feels nothing but pity for me."

The pink haired woman simply blinked, shocked. Not only were his words extremely rude and disrespectful, but that was the most he had said to her the entire time she had been here. The best thing to do in this situation would be to act as if she weren't affected, that way he wouldn't get the reaction from her that he expected. "Then what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

"That's my business, not yours." He said.

The awkward silence resumed, Akito not wanting to speak, and Sakura not sure what to say. It was almost like her first few times with Gaara, before they had started seeing each other. Only this was a child with an attitude that was far too big for his body. When the ebony haired boy stood and made his way to the sink, she spoke up once more.

"Was your sandwich good?" she asked.

"I ate it didn't I?" was all he said in reply, rinsing it off and putting it in the dishwasher before leaving the room.

When she was alone, Sakura sighed and put her head in her hands. She was really close to snapping and just hitting this boy across Konoha. Maybe that would smack some manners into him. Once more she thought of Sasuke's words, and some of her anger died away. If he had enough faith in her to ask her to look after his child, then she knew she would be able to make it through this. She just needed Gaara to get here. He was her rock, her foundation. Naruto was being helpful, visiting every day when he had the time, since it was being spent planning Sasuke's funeral, but he wasn't Gaara. In fact, Naruto was even more screwed up over this than she was.

She rose from her seat and washed her plate, running the dishwasher, since it was full. Then she did what she always did when she was upset. She cleaned. This would be the third time she'd cleaned Sasuke's house, but she didn't care. It gave her something to do, and she didn't have to think a whole lot in order to do it.

After a few hours of doing this, she stopped to wash up before beginning dinner. She hadn't seen nor heard from Akito since lunch, but she could sense his chakra signature back in the training room. She put away the cleaning supplies and got out everything for supper, though it wasn't much. She would need to go to the marketplace tomorrow, because all there was in the house was enough to make a simple salad and some chicken Alfredo.

Once the salad was put together, she set the noodles on the stove to boil and put the chicken in the oven to cook. As she did this, she heard the water start up in another part of the house, and knew that Akito was finished training and was getting a shower, as he always did before dinner. Suddenly she froze, feeling something familiar. Before she could put her finger on it, there was a knock at the front door, and she quickly wiped her hands off on a towel before walking over to the front.

She peeked through the hole in the door, gasping at the sight that greeted her. Throwing the door open, she didn't wait to exchange pleasantries, simply wrapping her arms around her husband's waist and burying her face in his shirt, taking in his familiar scent. "You're finally here." She said softly.

Gaara's strong arms wrapped around her and brought her closer, resting his forehead on the top of her head. "Sorry it took so long. I came as fast as I could."

"Mommy!" all three of their children cried out, surrounding their parents in a tight embrace. "We missed you!" they said together.

Sakura pulled away from Gaara a bit, looking down at her children. "Hello my sweethearts." She smiled slightly, reaching out and bringing each child closer to her and kissing them on the tops of their heads. "I missed you too." She looked up at Gaara and kissed him then, not wanting him to feel left out. "And I missed you."

"I missed you as well my love. Though, I wish it had been me saying that after you returned home safely." He sighed, stroking her cheek tenderly with his fingers. And by her reaction and lean, he knew she was slowly crumbling beneath her tough façade. "It's alright. I'm here now, so you don't have to be strong anymore."

She sniffed, her unshed tears coming to her eyes. "It's been so hard." She breathed out, sounding a bit strained, her tears beginning to spill over her eyelashes and slide down her cheeks. "I keep trying to make some headway with Akito, help him through all this, but he doesn't want it." She sighed. "And Sasuke's funeral is tomorrow."

Gaara gave her a small smile and kissed her forehead. "Don't worry. I will handle everything from here." He told her.

Natsumi shot her hand in the air and looked between her parents. They glanced down at their youngest, who smiled. "I have to pee." She announced, running into the abode before anyone could stop her. She ran down the hallway in search of a bathroom, opening every door until she finally found it and rushed in, slamming the door, and as she turned around she ran into someone. Natsumi blinked, as did Akito, both confused as to what was happening. Finally, Natsumi peeled herself off the slick body and stared up into surprised green eyes.

Her face turned an unhealthy red as her gaze lowered. "I'm so sorry! I should have knocked!" she slapped her hands over her eyes, rambling on. "But I had to pee so bad!"

"Polite protocol dictates that when in someone else's house, you do not enter without permission, and you certainly do not just barge into the bathroom when the door is closed. You knock." Was all he said, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his waist. Then he walked past her, grabbing the door knob and opening it. "You may use the bathroom." He told her before leaving, closing the door behind him.

She stared after him, looking at the door but then hurrying to use the restroom. After she finished and washed her hands, she went out into the hall and looked around, hearing her parents in the living room she'd passed. She started towards the room, but then heard something down the other hall. Her curiosity piqued, she walked down the hard wood floor and peeked into an open room. It was large and designed like a training room, and the boy from before was in there, already dressed and sharpening some kunai. She remembered him from the last time she'd gotten to come to Konoha, but he wasn't very talkative. But of course that didn't stop her. She walked in and smiled, waving at him. "You're…Akito right? I remember you from the last time I came here." She voiced her thoughts.

He paused in his task and looked up at her. "Yes." He said simply, before resuming what he was doing.

Natsumi blinked, her smile faltering for only a moment. "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"I'm eleven!" she beamed, stopping once she was in front of him. "We're only a year apart." To this he didn't say a thing, not even giving her statement a look in acknowledgement.

She frowned, leaning closer to him and pushing his hands down from their previous task. "Are you ok?"

He glared up at her, the intensity of it startling. "Why would I be okay? My father is dead, and now there's bunch of people in my house, bothering me, when all I want is to be left alone!"

She looked wounded, but instead of shying away like he anticipated, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm sorry."

He stiffened at the contact, having only ever been touched like this a few times by his friend Minako. But at least he knew her well, when all he could remember about this strange girl was that she talked a lot, and was always happy. "I don't want your pity." He said softly, making no move to return her embrace, or to push her away.

Her grip only tightened. "This isn't pity. I want to stop your hurting." She explained, looking up at him with watery eyes.

Akito blinked. "But you don't know me."

"I don't like it when people hurt. And I kinda know you. I met you once, and I don't want you to hurt." She gave him a smile. "I know everything isn't going to be okay, but that doesn't mean you can't let others try to help. So we can be friends! And I'll make here stop aching." She told him, touching her hand over his heart.

He sighed. "Yeah, good luck with that." Then his gaze moved to the doorway, where Sakura was standing.

"Kids, dinner is ready." She said. "Come eat."

Natsumi took Akito's hand and dragged him with her and out the door. "Food!" she cheered, running down the hall.

He followed, his eyes somewhat wide at her antics. When they reached the kitchen where the food was set out, he instantly took in the other intruders that were in his home. Two redheads and another little pink girl. Not good. He recognized them all of course, especially the man, because in his visits to the leaf village he'd visited with his father often. This man was someone the elder Uchiha could actually relax with, and that fact alone earned him a bit of respect in Akito's book. Though, he would never admit it aloud.

He retrained his gaze on Natsumi when she released his hand. Then he saw which chair she was headed for, and he glared, running over and pushing her out of the way slightly before blocking the chair from her.

"No!" he yelled, getting everyone's attention, and startling the young girl. "You can't sit here. It's my father's seat."

Gaara walked over and picked Akito up, sitting him in the seat he had designated as Sasuke's. "Then you sit there. There aren't enough seats to leave one empty and have everyone sitting. And next time don't be so rude." He told the dark haired boy, not giving him time to respond as he comforted his alarmed daughter.

Toshiro took the seat beside Akito and gave him the nod. "Sup." Akito looked sideways at the redheaded boy and then stared forward once more. His entire body was stiff, and he looked like he was having a small freak out session inside his head.

Sakura began to serve the food to everyone, glancing at the quiet dark haired boy every once in a while, until everyone's plates were full. She sat down then, and everyone began to eat. Well, everyone but Akito. He was still tense, just staring at his plate. But, not wanting to look weak, or have Gaara speak to him again, he slowly picked up his fork and began to eat a bit hesitantly.

"So Akito." Gaara began, eating some of the noodles. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Why wouldn't I be? It's just another day." The boy replied, not looking up.

Gaara paused in his eating, clearing his throat. "Akito, it is disrespectful not to look at someone when you speak to them. And I mean the fact that tomorrow is your father's funeral."

This time Akito did look up, but his gaze was far from friendly. "Of course I know that tomorrow is his funeral. I'm not stupid. All I have to do is show up, stand at the front as everyone looks at me pityingly, and then wait for everyone else to leave after being forced to listen to their fake condolences. Big deal."

Sakura's eyes widened and she looked from Akito to Gaara. Already the boy had spoken more to her husband than he had to her in the three days she'd been staying with him. This could be good. This was progress. In fact, it was beginning to make a lot more sense as to why Sasuke had asked that Akito come and stay with them.

"Don't you use that tone of voice with me you little punk." The Kazekage warned. "I _know_ your father taught you better manners than that, especially when speaking to your elders. And I can assure you, that tomorrow will not be a traditional Konoha funeral." He scolded the boy. "Like hell Sasuke would want a bunch of strangers placing queer flowers over his body."

Toshiro snickered and nodded, agreeing with his father. "Whatever." Akito muttered, returning his gaze to his food.

"Whatever is not a proper response." Gaara said, continuing to eat.

"Do your eyes turn red?" Satomi blurted out, looking at Akito curiously. He looked up at her after glancing at Gaara, since he didn't want to be berated about his manners again.

"Yes." He replied.

"Can I see?"

He sighed, and suddenly the greens depths of his eyes swirled to red, one black tomoe visible in each eye.

Satomi stared in awe, as did all of the Sabaku children. "Wow." Natsumi said.

Akito sat like that for a few seconds, before changing them back to their original shade of green. "That's cool." Toshiro nodded. They finished up dinner pretty fast, and as Sakura began to do the dishes, Akito got up to go back to the room he normally inhabited.

"Hold on a second there young Uchiha." Gaara said, crossing his arms and looking him over. "I need you to go get me some strawberries. I see you're all out."

His answer was a small glare. "Why?"

"Because I said so, that's why." The redhead replied sharply, tossing the small money pouch at him. He caught it with ease and only one hand, than stared down at it. "So go on. And take Natsumi. She likes the cherry blossoms. And try and not be such an emo freak. No one liked your dad when he was like that, and the same goes here." Then he gestured for him to leave with his hand. "Now go."

"Fine." The young boy said, turning and heading for the door, not even waiting for Natsumi. She followed after him anyways, already bubbling about the thought of getting to see the cherry blossoms.

Sakura finished the dishes quickly, loading them in the dishwasher. She turned to Toshiro and Satomi then, smiling slightly. "Why don't the two of you go and settle into the guest rooms? They're right down that way, the first hallway on your left." She instructed, pointing so that they knew where she was talking about. "And then you can just go play in the backyard or something. Your father and I have some things we need to discuss."

"Ok." They said together, leaving the room then and heading off into the halls. Gaara shifted his gaze to his wife, curiosity coursing through him.

"What are we discussing?"

She sighed, looking up at him. "Sasuke's…last request. For us." She said softly.

He fully faced her then. "His last request?"

"Yes." At his silence she figured he wanted her to continue. "He wants us to take Akito to Suna. To live with our family."

Gaara's eye visibly widened. "What." He said, his voice dead.

"He said that you are the only one who would be able to understand Akito, and keep him from the darkness." She explained. "That you would help him grow into a fine young man."

"Sakura," Gaara warned. "We have _three_ kids. Or did you forget that?"

"No, I didn't forget that." She replied. "But it's what Sasuke wanted. And I think it's a good idea. Already you've gotten Akito to speak more to you than he has to me since I got here three days ago."

"Of course I have Sakura. Because everyone's treating him like Sasuke died! You have to treat him like a kid. Sakura, I don't want to take care of another child. He's not mine, and we've already got one disturbed one."

"So you're saying that you refuse to take Akito into our home because you don't want another psychotic child? You?" she asked, pointing at him in exasperation. "And we don't even really have to take care of him. He's already self-sufficient. He never asks for anything, nor does he expect people to do things for him. All we have to do is make sure he stays out of trouble, and that he doesn't momentarily destroy his life the way Sasuke did."

Gaara shook his head and focused his glare back on his wife. "No, no, no. Sakura I know that's how it works in happy go lucky town with a population of you. Out here in the real world, that's not what happens. Psychopaths don't just 'take care of themselves' they watch and wait and simmer and froth until BOOM!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "About forty people are dead, a bunny is boiling in a pot on the stove, and our daughters have been raped and mutilated."

She gave him a blank stare and crossed her arms. "I highly doubt Akito is going to rape and mutilate our daughters." She said. "Besides, I already promised we would take Akito with us."

"No you halved a promise." He pointed accusingly at her. "We are one now Sakura, and _you_ agreed. I said nothing. Leave the kid here with Naruto! I'm sure he'll be…fine…" Gaara frowned as he thought about his recent words. Then he sighed. "Alright."

She smiled and walked over to him, hugging him around the waist and kissing the corner of his chin. "It won't be so bad. We'll just have to make a few adjustments, and get used to it. And look on the bright side, Toshiro will have a brother, and there will be another male in the house."

Gaara just sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah. Yeah. You're just lucky we have a really big house, two really annoying daughters, and a boy who can keep him occupied. But Konoha's going to be pissed that the sharingan is leaving them. This won't be an easy debate."

"I know." She rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him through her lashes. "But you know we'll win. Naruto thinks it's a good idea, and so does Tsunade-shishou. We just have to get through the elders, and there are only two of them. It'll be a cinch. And I doubt the council will complain much when we get back to Suna and tell them."

"Oh they won't." he rested his head on hers. "But it's still going to wear me out." He sighed then. "Alright, come on, let's go pack Akito's things and see if he notices. Because I don't want to stay here a day after the funeral. That boy needs something other than this dreary place."

"Yeah." Sakura agreed, and they went into the hall to begin packing the last Uchiha's belongings.

* * *

"Strawberries!" Natsumi sang, plucking one of the most succulent ones from the basket. "How I love thee!"

Akito gave her a sideways glance. "You're weird." He said.

She offered it to him, smiling brightly. "Want one?" she snickered, making a kissing face at him. "They're delicious!"

"No." he continued walking, wanting to get back to his home as soon as possible.

"Oh come on." She offered it to him once more. "It's the best one. And I think you will really enjoy its amazing sweetness."

"I don't want it."

Natsumi huffed and took the basket from him, setting it down before tackling him to the ground, sitting on his chest and shoving it in his mouth as he opened it to yell at her. "Now eat!" she laughed victoriously.

He glared at her, looking like he was about to begin chewing, until he spat the strawberry out of his mouth, hitting her in the face. "No." he reiterated sternly.

She screamed out, falling back and trying to wipe off the offending back spit. "Gross! Gross! You nasty!" she flailed and fell backwards fully, hitting her head right between his legs painfully.

Akito moaned, a pained look coming to his face. "Get off me you psycho!" he said, rolling to the side as he shoved Natsumi off of him. She hit the ground and yelled out.

"Ow!" she glared at him, lifting her hand and looking at the jagged scrape that was beginning to clot. Her eyes began to water then as her flesh stung.

He sat up, holding his hands over his crotch in an attempt to ease the pain she had caused. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, looking over at her.

"I cut my hand." She sniffed, showing him the crimson red covering her palm. He blinked as he examined the wound, carefully grabbing her hand and bringing it closer to his face.

"It's not so bad." He said, before ripping part of his shirt and wrapping it around her wound, tying it off. "There, now the blood won't get everywhere, and your mother can just fix it when we get back to my house." He stood and offered his hand down to her. When she stared at it, he let out an impatient noise. "Well are you coming or not?"

Natsumi placed her good hand in his and allowed him to help her up. She smiled once they were both standing. Before he could move from her, she got up on her tip toes and kissed his lips in a quick peck. "Thanks." She bubbled, grabbing the basket and skipping off towards his house.

Once more he blinked, staring after her for a few seconds before following her. They entered his house then, and sat the basket of strawberries on the counter. Akito looked around, noticing that it was silent. "Where is everybody?" he asked, growing suspicious. He didn't like the thought of people just running around willy nilly in his house.

"Akito. Natsumi." Gaara called from the living room. The two walked forth together and stopped in the doorway, seeing Gaara and Sakura sitting on the couch, and Satomi and Toshiro on the ground. "We have something important to tell you."

Sakura nodded and pat Gaara's thigh, ready to delicately tell the young Uchiha heir about his new living arrangements. Then the small smile was wiped right off her face with her husband's words. "Your dad has entrusted you to us. So you're moving to Suna." He said bluntly.

Akito stared at him for a while, before crossing his arms. "No I'm not." He said defiantly.

"It was your Dad's dying wish." Gaara said, not at all surprised by the reaction. "It's either Suna or Naruto."

"Wait," Toshiro blinked. "So Akito's going to live with us?"

"No, I'm not going anywhere. I have a perfectly good home right here, and I can take care of myself." Akito said before anyone else could speak up.

"You're twelve. You can't take care of yourself. Now stop being a brat and go pack what you want to take with you. We've already got all your clothes. And we're leaving tomorrow after the funeral."

He glared at Gaara, before shifting his gaze to Sakura. Then his eyes narrowed. So she had known about this the entire time she had been staying at his house, and hadn't even bothered to tell him. Did she not have a backbone? Was she unable to do anything of importance without her husband there to hold her up? Pathetic. On top of that, ever since she had shown up to his house, she had ruined his life, bothering him all the time and changing his routine.

"I hate you." He said to the pink haired woman, making her eyes widen. Then, without another word, he turned and headed towards his room. But before he could take another step, sand slammed him against the wall and Gaara stood, glaring threateningly at the boy.

"You better suck those words right back up Akito." He ordered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Has anyone ever told you that they hated you? Do you even know how powerful that word is?"

"I'm not stupid." He glared, his eyes having turned red out of instinct. "And you can't take back words that have already been said. That concept is ludicrous."

Gaara just stared at him and then glanced over to his youngest, noting her hand. "Natsumi come here." He gestured. The young girl came over and looked up at her father and then to Akito. "Let me see your hand." She lifted her bandaged hand and Gaara un-wrapped it, seeing the scrape. "What happened."

"I tackled Akito and then he spit in my face and I fell back and hurt his little Akito. So he shoved me off and I scraped my hand, it really hurt." She frowned.

"Hm." Gaara nodded. "Well that's a mean thing to do. He hurt you, so do you hate him?" he asked, giving her a silencing look so she wouldn't answer right away.

"That's different." The young Uchiha said. "I didn't ruin her life. And if she hated me, she would have said so by now."

"How do you know?" Gaara smirked, giving him a haughty look. "It might not be now, but those little things could build and build and build, and then that once innocent relationship is tainted and tarnished. Now apologize, because I can assure you, she did not ruin your life. Now get over yourself and go pack."

"Don't worry Akito, I still like you." Natsumi said, smiling at him.

Satomi sighed and shook her head. "He wouldn't last a day in Suna anyways. Just let him stay here with that insane blonde man."

Akito glanced at Satomi, then Sakura, and lastly, Gaara. But he remained silent, not saying a thing. Natsumi walked up to the sand and touched it with her hand, making it drop Akito. "You should apologize, that was a mean thing to say." she smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He looked at Natsumi, staring at her for a while before looking at Sakura. He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Sakura smiled at him. "It's okay Akito. I know you didn't mean it."

The boy nodded and looked up at Gaara. "Can I go pack now? I don't want to stay with that loser for the rest of my life. I'll just kill him."

The redhead nodded. Natsumi took Akito's hand and bounced up and down happily. "I'll help!"

"I suppose you can." He said, grabbing her good hand and leading her back to his room.

Sakura sighed, standing and walking over to her husband. "Well, that went better than I thought it would."

Gaara smirked and glanced back at her. "Well my love, you know how hard it is to defy our little Natsumi."

Toshiro looked between his parents. "Okay. So Akito is moving in with us?"

"Are you adopting him?" Satomi asked.

"Yes Akito is moving in with us. And no, we're not officially adopting him, because he's going to want to keep his last name. Technically he'll be our ward." Sakura explained.

"So he's going to be our brother?" the two asked.

"Yes. I know it will be different, but I want you to treat Akito like a family member. I don't want him to feel like an outsider, okay?" she said.

The younger redhead gave his mother a thumbs up. "No problem! I'm excited."

Satomi just shrugged. "Alright."

"Thanks kids. Now run along and get ready for bed. We have a big day tomorrow." The pink haired medic told them. "I'll be in to say goodnight in a little while."

"Yes ma'am." Toshiro saluted and got up, walking out with Satomi to their chosen bedrooms.

Gaara sighed and looked back to his wife, "Come on, let's go get Natsumi to bed before she annoys the hell out of that poor boy."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he's lasted this long with her." She said, taking his hand in hers and walking back towards the hallway to get their youngest. They needed to get as much sleep as possible, because once the funeral was over with, they were off to Suna, to start their new lives as a family of six.


	3. Change

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Three_

-Change-

The next morning everyone got up bright and early, all dressed in their black funeral clothes. They were the first ones to arrive, and not long afterwards so did everyone else. It wasn't a very long funeral, because Sasuke wouldn't have wanted to waste people's time that way. The only ones who attended were the original rookie nine and their families, the teachers from the academy, and the Hokage.

There wasn't a viewing, because Sasuke had been cremated and put in an urn, which was given to Akito at the end of the funeral. It wasn't anything fancy, just plain white, with the Uchiha symbol painted on the front. Once everyone had left, the Sabakus and the last Uchiha headed back to the Uchiha District to change into their travelling clothes and leave. After gathering up all of the things that Akito wanted to take with him, they headed for the gate of the village, where Naruto and his family met them in order to say goodbye.

"It sure is going to be different from now on." Naruto said, for once being serious.

"You mean now that the Uchiha line is going to be from Suna?" Gaara smirked, secretly proud of this new upper hand.

The blonde frowned, crossing his arms. "Oh yeah? Well…who's to say Akito wouldn't want to come back when he's older?" he asked.

Said boy gave him a blank look. "Yeah, cause' I want to stay with a bunch of pansies. Minako is probably the only person that I _might_ miss. _Maybe_. But not enough to come back."

Minako smiled, hugging him. "Thanks Akito-kun! That means a lot coming from you." She released him, stepping back. "Have fun in Suna. Don't forget to write me and tell me what it's like."

"Sure."

"Don't worry Minako." Natsumi smiled. "I'll take good care of him."

"I know you will Natsumi-chan." She said.

Gaara clapped his hands then and got everyone's attention. "Alright. Not that I don't _love_ being here. But let's get the hell out."

Satomi was the first one to start for the gate. "Finally." She sighed.

"Wait! Are you guys gonna come back and visit any time soon?" Naruto called after them.

"No." Gaara, Satomi, and Akito replied at the same time.

"Bye!" Natsumi waved excitedly, following after her father and her sister. Toshiro waved as well and walked with Akito, telling him all the cool things about the desert.

Sakura hugged Naruto goodbye. "Goodbye Naruto." She said.

"Bye Sakura-chan. Take care. And good luck with that emo." He snickered. She just rolled her eyes before running and catching up with her family.

* * *

"And that, my friend," Toshiro smiled, gesturing to the massive fortress that was known as the village hidden in the sand. "Is Suna. The greatest place ever!"

"We'll see." Akito commented, evaluating the place. He didn't want to set his standards too high after all, that way his chances of being let down were decreased.

Natsumi ran up beside Akito, nodding in agreement. "We have _salty_ ice cream!"

Akito gave her an odd look. She definitely was a strange one. He could tell that he would be having some problems with her. Toshiro was okay so far, and Satomi seemed like she didn't really care. And that he could deal with. But Natsumi…she was too much like her mother, and he didn't know if that would fly.

"Alright kids, you can show Akito all the cool things about Suna later. For now, let's just head on home and let him get settled into his new room." Sakura said.

Natsumi huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. I need to shower anyway. See you guys at home." She waved, disappearing in a wisp of sand.

The rest of the family got to the large mansion a few minutes later. They all went upstairs, where the bedrooms were, and Sakura looked to her oldest. "Toshiro sweetie, will you show Akito to his room? He can take the one next to yours if you want, since the girls are across the hall."

"Yeah sure." He nodded, glancing over at Akito. "Come on." He gestured for him to follow and the two went down the hall and to the left. Toshiro led Akito to one of their vacant rooms and opened the door for him. "This is your room. You can do whatever you want in here. Mine's next door," he pointed to his own. "Then Natsumi's." he gestured to the one across from his and then the one beside that. "And Satomi's."

Akito followed where the redhead was pointing with his eyes. "So which one is the bathroom?" he asked, wanting to know. He pointed further down the hall at two doors across from each other.

"There's two there."

"Ok. Thanks." He said, walking into his designated room. He set his pack down on the bed and then looked around, making a mental list of everything he would need in order to make the place more comfortable for him to stay in. Toshiro nodded and left him then, going to his own room to unpack.

There was a soft knock on the door and Akito looked over and saw the elder redhead. Gaara came in then, looking somber. "Look Akito, I know this isn't ideal. But I do want you to know that I'm going to treat you normally. I want you to be a kid, and I know that this is a big thing to deal with at your age. But your father was important to me, and you are important to me as well. So if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I don't know how to be a kid." He admitted softly.

Gaara actually smiled and stopped before him, kneeling down. "Well guess what. You have three awesome kids who can show you how it's done. I think you and Toshiro will get along very well. And I think you and Satomi may be pretty darn alike. And I know Natsumi can be…trying sometimes, but the things she does is only cause' she loves you. And later on, I think you'll really appreciate all the little irritating things she does to try and make people smile."

"I don't know…" the ebony haired boy said, looking a bit skeptical. "But I'll try. I don't want my presence to cause any problems in your family."

"Akito, you are my family now. And causing disturbances is what this family does best. So feel free to say and do whatever you want. Except say you hate anyone, because that's just negative. And Sakura loves you very much, because she loved your dad a lot." He tried to explain. "You're important to all of us." He placed his hand on top of the young Uchiha's head and actually smiled.

The corner of Akito's lip tilted slightly, and in that moment he looked so much like Sasuke that it was scary. "Thank you." Then it vanished, and his brow furrowed. "What am I supposed to call you and your wife?"

The Kazekage laughed. "Well you can call me Gaara if you want, or Dad. I respond to both. Since I guess technically I'm your dad now. But you can call Sakura her name, or Pinky, or Nurse Betty, I get a kick outta that every time I call her that. Sometimes I just call her Woman, and she seems to respond to that. But then again she also goes by Mom." He smirked, nudging the boy playfully.

Akito just blinked, not seeming to fully understand the joke. "Can I just call you sir, and her ma'am? All the other ones…seem weird."

"Those are kinda impersonal though, don't you think? I'd prefer not…you can just call me old man if you feel like it. But on another note, I know you like to train, and something I think you will like about Suna, is our training is a bit harder than in Konoha. Plus, you get to learn to fight in a whole new terrain."

"Is there someone here who can teach me to use a sword?" he asked, his gaze trailing over to Sasuke's old katana. "My father promised to teach me…and I still want to learn…"

Gaara nodded. "Yup. I'll even get you a special trainer in it. Is there any other particular skill you'd want to learn so I can make sure you get the best teacher?"

"Can Kakashi-sensei come train me with my sharingan and lightning every once in a while? I think with everything else I'll just teach myself."

"Sure. He can travel with Neji and Lee when they come here." He told him, smiling slightly. "I'll send a letter immediately."

"Thanks." Akito said, returning the elder redhead's smile.

Gaara stood straight then. "No problem. So we'll call you down when dinner is ready, and then we can call it an early night."

He nodded, and Gaara left him then. Akito began to unpack his clothes, meticulously placing them inside his closet and dresser. Just as he was finished with that he was called down to dinner. It went by pretty quickly, and most of the conversation was made by Natsumi, Toshiro, and Sakura. When it was over everyone went up to bed, and the house became silent. Eerily silent.

It wasn't that Akito couldn't deal with the quiet, because he could, welcomed it even. But there were all these noises that the house made that he wasn't used too, and it was making it impossible for him to sleep. He laid there in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Despite having unpacked and put away the few things he had brought, this room was still foreign to him. And it was now that his situation was beginning to sink in.

He was in Suna. Not Konoha. Suna. It didn't matter that it was a different terrain to fight on, or if they had salty ice cream. It wasn't his home, where he had grown up. It wasn't where his father had raised him, or where his ancestors were buried. It was all wrong.

The temperature of the house was too cool. His sheets were too stiff. The mattress was too soft, and the room was too square shaped, instead of rectangular. On top of this, the whole place smelled funny. Not bad, just…different. It didn't smell like his father's clean, crisp body wash and shampoo, or the polish they used on their weapons. Or even the large amounts of old books in the library. It just smelled…lemony. Like the cleaning products that you got from the store.

He continued to lay there for what seemed like hours, still unable to even begin to feel sleepy. Throwing the covers back, he got out of bed and walked over to his door, peeking out into the darkened hallway. He went down the hall and to the bathroom, shutting the door before turning on the light so that he didn't accidentally wake anybody up. Then he turned on the sink and began to wash his face, hoping that that would aid him on the road to slumber.

* * *

Natsumi walked up the steps, holding a glass of water. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. She stopped then, seeing Akito coming out from the bathroom, her only light the soft glow from the moon that the window let in. "Akito?"

He looked over at her, and then noticed the glass in her hand. "Hi." He said, stopping when he was in front of her.

"Are you ok? Why aren't you asleep?" she asked, looking worried.

"I can't. Sleep that is." He sighed.

The young girl frowned, taking his hand and pulling him into his room, sitting him down on his bed and taking a place next to him. "Is it cause' of your dad?"

"Yes. And this place…feels weird." He admitted softly, bringing up a hand and rubbing his arm in an unconscious effort to comfort himself. If only a little bit.

Natsumi moved closer to him, giving him a comforting smile. "I know when I was sad, my brother would let me sleep with him. If you want I can stay in here with you and sing you a lullaby if it might help."

"Okay." He said, since he really wanted to sleep. "But you don't have too."

"Oh no, no." she waved it off and took a sip of her water before placing it on the end table. "It's fine. I was having trouble sleeping too anyways." She pulled back the covers and held them open for him so he could get in beside her.

He did, lying down on his back, feeling a little awkward. He'd never slept with anyone before, so the whole experience was new to him. He looked over at her. "I've never done anything like this before." He admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Natsumi smiled happily, and even in the darkness he could see its vibrant appeal. She laid on her side, facing him and taking his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together. "That's ok." She told him, moving closer so that they were just mere inches apart, their joined hands between them. "Just close your eyes and relax and I'll sing you to sleep."

He rolled so that he was on his side as well, and nodded, closing his eyes. Natsumi took a small breath and then began to leisurely sing to him softly. "Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep sweet Akito. Let your mind…drift away." She yawned, making herself sleepy. "And I'll keep the bad dreams away. Go to sleep. Go to sleep. I promise to be…" Natsumi trailed off and smiled. "I promise to be your safety."

Akito listened to her sing and actually felt himself begin to relax. It was so nice to be sung to, he realized. Was this what it would have been like if he'd had a mother? Then he wondered if his father would have sung to him if he'd asked. And that was when he remembered that it didn't matter, because he didn't have a father any more.

His grip on her hand tightened unconsciously, and he clenched his closed eyes a bit. Then he felt something wet slide down his cheek and across his nose, and it was then that he realized he was crying, for the first time in his young life. He kept his eyes closed, hoping that Natsumi wouldn't notice.

Natsumi saw something glisten on Akito's face and it broke her heart. But she didn't let herself falter. She moved closer to him, their foreheads and noses touching, and decided to sing him something her mother often sung for her when she was crying. "Come stop your crying, it will be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight." She smiled, tightening her grip on his hand. "I will protect you from all around you. I will be here don't you cry."

He opened his eyes and looked at her through the darkness of his room. He blinked, causing another tear to slide down his cheek. And yet, for some reason, he didn't care that she was seeing him this way. Something told him that she didn't think any less of him, and that she would never hold it over his head in the future. In that moment, he trusted her completely.

"For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on…now and forever more." She smiled slightly, lifting her free hand and wiping away the few tears that had stained his cheeks.

He nuzzled her hand a bit, sighing tiredly as his eyes slid shut. "Goodnight Natsumi. And thank you."

"Goodnight Akito." Natsumi yawned, closing her eyes and snuggling against him as they shared each other's warmth. They drifted off to sleep then, with Akito feeling a lot better than he had before running into Natsumi. And in that moment, he was glad for her annoying, nosy ways.


	4. Adjust

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Four_

-Adjust-

Gaara opened his eyes, letting out a tired breath. It was still dark outside, and the woman beside him was sound asleep. But the sun would be rising soon. The redhead got up, making sure not to disturb his sleeping wife and grabbed a black T-shirt and pulled it on. He made his way downstairs to start breakfast, as was his routine, and stopped in the doorway when he saw a short, ebony haired boy moving around the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" he asked, actually making Akito jump, since he'd been so lost in his jumbled thoughts that he hadn't sensed the elder redhead.

"Um…I'm making breakfast." He said, looking around the kitchen. "But I don't know how to make it for more than two people, so then I figured I would make three different kinds of breakfasts for everybody." He told him, explaining the amount of things that were lying out on the counter. "But then I realized that not everybody will like what I made, and some might want something else, and I didn't know what to do about that, so I'm trying to figure out what to do." Akito didn't know why he was explaining himself, or his thought process, but for some reason he felt like it was necessary.

The Kazekage just smirked and walked in, assessing the contents. "You want some help?"

Akito was about to refuse, since he didn't want to seem weak, but then took another cursory glance around the kitchen. Bringing his gaze back to the redhead, he nodded. "Please."

"Alright." he went over to the counter and put a few of the more strange ingredients away. "So, we'll do something simple today. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, and eggs." He kneeled down and gave Akito a devious grin. "Now, it's good to know the favorites of the house. Sakura loves fruits with her breakfast, mainly strawberries. So we'll slice some up for her. Toshiro loves regular pancakes, he's pretty simple. But Satomi likes blueberries in hers, and Natsumi likes chocolate chips. Think we can handle that?" he asked.

The young Uchiha just looked astonished. "You can put stuff in pancakes?" he asked.

Gaara actually smiled. "I know. I was surprised when I discovered that as well. I'll show you how." They started mixing the batter, until Gaara handed the bowl off to Akito and set a few pans on the stove. "Now are you better at bacon, eggs, or sausage?"

"Eggs. I can make every kind." The boy said, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Great. Make lots of scrambled, since the little ones like that. Sakura likes sunny side up, and I like mine over easy. So two each I think would be fine. Per person." He nodded, placing some bacon in one pan and sausage in another.

"Okay." Akito said, beginning to make every egg that had been listed, as well as making himself some fried eggs.

They cooked together until everything was finished. Akito began to set the table as Gaara placed everything in dishes, placing them on the table as well. "Something smells delicious." A voice said, and both looked over to see Sakura entering the kitchen dressed in her ninja clothes, a bright smile on her face. "Good morning dear." She walked over and kissed Gaara on the cheek.

"Morning my love." He brought her closer, before she could move to sit down and kissed the juncture where her jaw met her neck. "Akito and I made breakfast this morning. It looks like it'll be a real treat." He mumbled, nibbling on her skin playfully.

She giggled, smoothing her hands up his arms. "I like treats." She said.

Akito just stood there, slightly wide eyed. He knew that they knew he was there, so he didn't understand why they were being so physical in front of him. It was kind of strange, and really uncomfortable to watch.

Gaara pulled away then and looked over at Akito and then to his wife. "Akito even made Natsumi's favorite pancakes. He insisted on doing it." the Kazekage snickered.

"Really?" the pink haired woman asked, looking over at him. "That was really sweet of you Akito."

He crossed his arm and looked off, slightly embarrassed. "I just wanted to learn how to do it. That's all." He said.

Toshiro walked in then, dressed for the day. "Yo." He waved to everyone and then took a seat looking over the meal. "Man this looks great.' He said, piling some eggs onto his plate and then two pancakes.

"Morning!" Natsumi sang, running into the kitchen, with Satomi not too far behind. "Wow!" she gasped, looking over the food. "It looks delicious!" then she spotted the chocolate chip pancakes. "Oh my God! My favorite! Thanks Dad!" the youngest twin cheered, running and hugging her father.

"Actually," Gaara said, patting the top of her head. "Akito made the chocolate chip ones." Natsumi looked confused and then shifted her jade gaze to Akito, another beautiful smile breaking across her face.

"Thank you Akito!" she detached from her father and wrapped her arms around him. "Chocolate chip are my favorite! Thanks for making them for me." She said, taking her seat next to Satomi, who was already eating.

"You're welcome." He said softly, going and sitting down next to Toshiro. Sakura sat at the end of the table, and Gaara took his seat at the head. Everyone got their food and began to eat then.

"So, how did everyone sleep last night?" Sakura asked as she took a bite of her eggs.

Satomi shrugged. Toshiro made a small gesture with his hand indicating he slept iffy. Natsumi smiled, "I slept great! I didn't wake up once."

Sakura blinked, looking somewhat surprised. "Really? That's wonderful sweetie." She smiled.

"I know! It was fantastic and I feel ready for the day."

"Well good," Gaara smiled. "I hope you have a good day at the Academy then." He told his youngest and then looked to Akito. "What about you Akito? I know it gets pretty cold at night here."

"It took me a while to fall asleep, but once I did it was good." he said, taking a drink of his orange juice.

Natsumi just beamed, getting an odd stare from her sister. "Why are you so happy?"

The younger of the two rolled her eyes and waved off the question. "Because, I just feel it's going to be a great day is all."

Sakura smiled at her youngest. Then she looked to her son. "Toshiro, why don't you show Akito around the village today? The two of you can get some ice cream and go to the park if you want." she suggested.

"Alright." the redhead nodded and gave Akito a small smile. "That'll be fun. We can look around and train and stuff."

Akito looked from the redhead to Sakura. "Actually, I was just going to stay here and-"

"I think getting some fresh air will do you some good. And you're going to need to learn your way around the village sometime, so why not now?" the pink haired medic interrupted, giving him a look that said she wasn't going to back down on this. Unable to find fault with her logic, or come up with a way out of leaving the house, Akito sighed.

"Fine."

"Make sure you pick the girls up from the Academy though." Gaara told them, giving his son a scolding look.

The younger male huffed and crossed his arms. "I forgot _one_ time and you just can't let it go, can you?"

"Of course not. Big brothers are supposed to be there for their little sisters. To protect them always." Gaara pointed out. Toshiro just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Everyone finished eating breakfast then, and while Sakura and Toshiro did the dishes, Gaara went upstairs and got ready for work. Natsumi and Satomi left the room to get their things for school, and Akito just sat there, at a loss for what to do. It wasn't too much longer that everyone came back downstairs, ready for the day. Sakura and the kids left the house together, and walked towards the academy to drop off the girls, since it was on the way to the hospital.

Arriving, Sakura turned to her daughters. "Alright, you girls have a wonderful day, and don't give the teacher too much trouble. I don't care if they're wrong, please don't correct them in front of the class again." She said, kissing each of the girls on the tops of their heads.

"Yes ma'am." They both sighed, looking just like the twins they were, both having irritated scowls.

They left them and disappeared inside and when they were gone, Toshiro looked up to his mother and waved. "Alright see ya Mom, we're off."

"Bye sweetheart. Bye Akito. You boys have fun." She smiled, turning and walking off towards the hospital.

Akito looked at the redhead. "So what are we doing?" he asked, not seeming excited in the least.

Toshiro shrugged and looked around. "Whatever you want I guess. I could show you all the main places that are in Suna. Like the tower." He pointed to the largest building in Suna. "Or the hot springs. The wall, the training grounds, or the shopping district." he smirked. "Or the red light district." He snickered, but looked a bit embarrassed.

The Uchiha raised a brow. "Wow, I didn't realize you were such a perv." He teased. "You seemed kind of like a golden child to me."

The devious look vanished from his face and he actually looked upset. "Please don't call me that. Or you're just like everybody fucking else." He said darkly, facing away from him and walking off down the street, his demeanor doing a complete one eighty.

Akito followed him, walking next to him silently. "Sorry." He said after a few seconds, looking at the redhead.

He sighed and looked to his new friend, shaking his head. "It's okay. Sorry for snapping. It's just that I really hate when people call me stuff like that. I'm not a weapon, or perfect. I'm just well rounded in my abilities, and I don't understand why that makes me better than anyone else. I mean, I'm already the strongest Kazekage's son. Plus I got both my parent's gifts, but I guess I'm just not one for the limelight."

"I know what you mean." Akito said. "Everyone in Konoha expected me to become even greater than my Uncle Itachi, because I got my sharingan at an earlier age than he did. They were already making plans for me too, about all of the different instructors they wanted me to have, so that I would become the strongest ninja in the village. It got really annoying, really quickly." Then he smirked. "But in no way do I think you're better than me."

The redhead mirrored his expression and glanced at him as well. "Hey now. I don't know about that." He said, though it was nothing but friendly competition. "We are blood rivals you know, just like your father and my dad were. Friends, but rivals." He smiled then, liking the idea of having a friend who was on an equal level to him.

"Trust me, I am well aware of that." Akito said, a smile coming to his own face.

"Sweet. I think this will work out great then." They were just walking now, enjoying the conversation with one another. "So do you think you might actually start to like it here? I mean, I know my family is kinda insane and crazy, but at least it's never boring." Toshiro shrugged.

"I don't know." He sighed. "It's different than Konoha, and I didn't even like it there much. But I guess I'll just have to give it some time."

Toshiro nodded, understanding. "Well, I'll always be here in case you're having a tough time liking it. So don't worry. I'm sure I could think of fun stuff to do when we don't have missions."

Akito gave him a sly look. "You mean, fun stuff like going to the red light district?" he asked, wagging his eyebrows.

"Hey, I'm just saying." The redhead smirked. "I don't know why, but breasts are just _awesome_. And the ladies there let it all hang out, and girls our age are as flat as us."

"You have a point there." The Uchiha agreed.

He nodded. "Exactly. Like see, I feel bad for my sisters, cause' no offense, but my mom is somewhat lacking in the chest area. And most likely they will have to find love in crazy psychopaths, who care more about mental stuff than physical stuff." Toshiro tried to explain. "But then again, they do have sex a lot." He paused and thought for a while. "I dunno, I just know when I get married, I would like a nice mountain range."

"Eh, I'm not too picky." Akito shrugged. "I mean, she has to be hot, hands down, but I don't care if she has a big chest or not. So long as her body is proportionate, and her legs are rockin', I'll be happy. I just want something to grab onto, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah." Toshiro laughed. "Though despite the huge breasts, I just think the little innocent ones adorable. I don't even think I'll care if they are the strongest you know? Like, good, but I don't think it'll matter that much since I can protect her. I just want nice. Oh and beautiful."

"I want somebody that can fight alongside me and keep up. That I don't really have to protect, because she can handle her own, but every once in a while needs my help. Someone who can challenge me." The corner of Akito's mouth tilted up. "Because I don't ever want things to get boring."

The redhead looked over to Akito with an amused glance. "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be a sex addict?" he snickered.

"Oh whatever." He scoffed, waving off the comment. The rest of the day Toshiro spent showing Akito his favorite spots, since they would be exploring Suna for the next couple of days so that Akito could get a good idea of where everything was. But today they had just gotten to see the marketplace and the cool stores, as well as the training fields. And surprising enough to Akito, he actually had a nice time, since he and Toshiro did mischievous things to unsuspecting people all day.

But finally, it was nearing time to go get the famous opposites. Akito didn't really understand too well how Satomi and Natsumi were twins. They were almost nothing alike. They stopped in front of the academy where they had last seen the girls and leaned against the wall as they waited. "What a day." Toshiro sighed contently.

"Pretty good as far as days go." Akito said, looking up at the sky. He idly wondered what he would be doing right now if he were still in Konoha. Probably just finishing up a day of rigorous training.

They heard a small bell and slowly a few kids filed out. Finally, Satomi came into view with an oddly down Natsumi behind her. Satomi stopped in front of them, looking bored, and Natsumi stopped by her sister. Toshiro pushed off the wall and stared oddly at his youngest sister. "Natsumi…why are you wearing a black bandana around your head?"

"Cause I can! That's why. So shut your face!" she glared, hiding her covered forehead with her hands.

"Jeez chill. I was just asking." He rolled his eyes and started off with Satomi following silently. "Come on Akito. Let's call dibs on what's for dinner!" he called over his shoulder. Natsumi looked sad once more and headed after them as well.

Akito caught up to Natsumi, walking beside her. "So...what upset you?" he asked, looking sideways at her.

Natsumi looked over at him and when she met his green gaze she quickly averted hers. "Nothing." She lied. "I'm fine." She said, unconsciously lifting her hand and attempting to hide the cloth tied around her head.

"Did you get hurt?" worry showed on his face.

She shook her head, keeping both her hands over it. But then she looked as if she were about to cry. "Tsuchikai Aruna said I had a really big forehead and I was abnormally un-proportional and that aliens could spot me from space!" she blurted out, fully crying now.

Akito blinked, and tried to hold in his laughter, because he knew it wouldn't be appreciated in this situation. "You know…there's no such things as aliens." He told her.

"But…Aruna's dad said that there were. And he was abducted." She tried to explain, her eyes wide with sadness.

"Yeah well Aruna's dad is crazy. And you can tell her I said so." He said. "Natsumi, I think your forehead is just fine the way it is. My father told me once that your mom used to get teased for having a big forehead too, but now look at her. She looks just fine. So I doubt there was ever anything wrong with her forehead."

She still looked doubtful. "But…but…but!" she frowned, shaking her head. "But then she said…if your hand is bigger than your face you have cancer. And so I tested it and she shoved my hand into my face."

"That's just some dumb trick that kids use on other kids because they think it's funny." He explained. "This Aruna girl is just a bully, and thinks it's funny to pick on you. What you need to do is stop being so affected by what she says, because the only reason she's doing this is because she likes your reactions. Either that or make fun of her in return, and she'll probably stop." He shrugged. "But I think you have a nice forehead, and that you're only making yourself look weird with that bandana on."

Natsumi blinked and tugged a bit on the cloth. "Really?"

"Yes." He nodded.

She pulled off the cloth and let out a scared breath. "It's really not big?" she asked, touching it once more with her fingertips.

"No, it's not." He grabbed her hand and lowered it. "I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She smiled back somewhat, until it was at its full brilliance. "Thank you." She said hugging him before taking his hand and dragging him down the streets after her siblings. "Come on! We're being left behind!"

"Then we better run faster!" he smiled, picking up his pace until he was the one pulling her slightly.

Natsumi just laughed, holding his hand tightly as they all decided to race home for the prize of deciding what was for dinner.


	5. Rupture

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Five_

-Rupture-

Akito let out a small sigh as he and Toshiro walked around the village. He'd been in Suna for three days now, and he had to say, it was a pretty okay place. Similar and yet different to Konoha. The only thing that he hated were the stares he got from the villagers. It was like they had never seen a little boy before, and it was beginning to piss him off. Toshiro had noticed them too, but didn't say anything, for which Akito was grateful. He didn't want to acknowledge the stares, because to him, that would be like admitting out loud that they bothered him.

His days were already becoming routine, as there wasn't really much to do. In the mornings he and Gaara made breakfast for everyone, and then Gaara went to work while Sakura walked the twins to the academy, letting him and Toshiro do whatever they wanted until picking up the girls in the afternoon. By now he knew his way around the village, as he had a near photographic memory. So he and the redhead had sparred a few times. When they got bored with that, they walked around and looked for something else to do.

He had already bought the things he wanted for his room, and the other day he and Toshiro spent their time setting everything up and rearranging Akito's things. He could sleep more easily in there now, as he had almost everything he'd had in his old room in Konoha, only a bit different, and cooler. Once they finished putting everything away, they went out and got some ice cream, which Akito had to admit didn't taste too bad, considering it was salty.

Yesterday had by far been his favorite day though, since he and Toshiro had discovered a women's lingerie store, and had gone inside. They managed to remain unseen by the shopkeeper as they roamed the aisles and looked at all of the strange things, commenting on which ones they liked best, whether it was lace or silk. The crotchless panties creeped both of them out though, because they didn't see the point in them. If you wanted sex that badly but didn't feel like taking off your underwear, just push it aside, right? They weren't experts on it or anything, but it seemed a lot more sanitary to the both of them.

They left shortly after that, as the young redhead had seen a few outfits that he was sure his mom had, and was beginning to get creeped out. At a loss for what to do, they wandered, until happening on Toshiro's Uncle Kankuro. The brunette man didn't see them, so they followed him around and pulled a few pranks on him, convincing him that he was being haunted by ghosts, not stopping their games until he ran off screaming, going in the direction of the Kazekage Tower, most likely to tell his younger brother about his misfortune.

Today they weren't doing much, having already trained and gotten something to eat at a kebab stand. He looked over to the boy he considered his best friend. "So, what should we do now?" he asked. "Your Uncle is probably still hiding in that church, so I doubt he'll be much fun to mess with today."

The redhead shrugged, appearing deep in thought. "I don't know. I don't really feel like doing anything though." He sighed, closing his eyes and just thinking on what they could do before they had to go get his sisters.

"Me either." The ebony haired boy said. He looked around and noticed that they were coming up on the park. He didn't really feel like joining in a game at the moment, but he could see that the kids were playing something he'd never seen the kids in Konoha play before. As they neared, he looked to his friend. "What game is that?" he asked, pointing to the kids.

"Air ball." Toshiro said simply, watching the other kids hit the ball up with their feet, keeping it in the air. "Basically, you can only use your feet or legs, and you have to keep it up in the air. If it touches the ground, you lose. If you let it fall, you lose, and the person who hit it over to you gets a point, and the one with the most points wins."

"Seems simple enough." He said, watching as the kids continued to play. Someone kicked the ball too hard then, causing it to fly in his and Toshiro's direction. Reacting quickly, Akito ran and leapt into the air, kicking the ball back towards the field where the kids were playing, so that they wouldn't have to run and get it. What confused him though, was that they all stopped moving and laughing, and were just watching the ball fly through the air until it hit the ground, bouncing a bit from the impact. Then they all looked over at him, their gazes almost unreadable.

A boy with orange hair walked over to him then, seeming upset. "What did you do that for?!" he asked, glaring slightly at Akito.

"So you could keep playing." The young Uchiha said carefully, unsure as to what the problem was. He thought that what he'd done was a nice thing to do, and so didn't understand why everyone was acting this way.

"Doubtful. Uchihas never do anything nice for other people. My father said so. I bet you just couldn't help showing off, trying to show us all that you're better than us." The boy said.

Toshiro shook his head and sighed, gesturing for the other male to leave. "Jin, just go back to your game and get over it."

Jin transferred his glare to the redhead. "Why, so he can continue to think that we should bow down and worship him the way those losers in Konoha did?"

Akito frowned. "But I don't think I'm better than you. I was just trying to help."

"Yeah well don't. We don't want your help, and we don't want you in our village. Nobody wants you, for that matter."

Toshiro decided to speak up once more in an attempt to stop this before it went too far. "Jin-"

"People want me." Akito said with conviction, feeling himself begin to get angry. He tried to temper it though, because he didn't want to cause a scene so soon after arriving in the village.

"No they don't. The Kazekage and his family don't want you, they only took you in because nobody else wanted you. Your own father probably didn't even want you." The other boy sneered.

Akito began to shake, and then he felt something in him snap. Suddenly he had tackled Jin to the ground, pinning his arms with his legs. "Don't you ever speak of my father that way!" he yelled, punching him in the face. "You know nothing! NOTHING!" he continued to hit Jin, vaguely noticing when his hands began to get bloody. But when the boy stopped moving, Akito didn't care, not ceasing his blows for a second.

Toshiro went wide eyed, trying to rip Akito off the boy by wrapping his arms around the other boy's midsection. "Akito stop! What are you doing?!" he yelled, sounding so much like his father it was scary.

As if waking from a dream, Akito stopped hitting the boy beneath him and went limp, allowing the redhead to drag him off the body. By now they had drawn quite a few bystanders, and even some of the Suna nin had shown up to see what the commotion was. A Jounin came up to them then and took charge of the situation. "You two, get this boy to the hospital." He pointed to two of his comrades. Then he looked at Toshiro. "Toshiro-sama, I need to take Uchiha-san to see Kazekage-sama. You may come if you wish, otherwise I would suggest going on home." He said respectfully, warily watching Akito as he said all of this.

"But we have to go get my sister's now." Toshiro said, becoming extremely nervous with the situation. "Can't I just take him home and talk to my dad then?" he asked, gesturing to the still motionless Akito in his grip.

"I'm sorry Toshiro-sama, but this matter is very serious and should be dealt with immediately. I will take Uchiha-san to see Kazekage-sama, and you can go get your sisters." The man said.

The redhead looked down to Akito and sighed. "Akito…will you be ok? Do you want me to come with you?"

"No." Akito said, breaking form his friend's grasp as he stood. "Go ahead and get the twins. I will be fine." He turned to Toshiro then, his eyes appearing lifeless.

"Alright." He nodded, placing his hand comfortingly on Akito's shoulder. "Don't sweat it. I'm sure everything will be great. Just make sure you come home." He smiled. Akito nodded, and then obediently headed off with the Jounin towards the Kazekage Tower.

The walk was a short one, too short for Akito's liking. He couldn't believe he'd just snapped like that and attacked that boy. He wasn't even going to stop, not until Toshiro stopped him. If he hadn't been stopped, he probably would have killed Jin. He didn't look up as they passed the other villagers, but he did hear what they were whispering about him. Words such as 'monster', and 'psychotic', could be heard, and despite them hurting deeply, Akito didn't visibly acknowledge them.

When they reached the tower, they went straight to the floor where the elder redhead's office was located. The Jounin knocked on the door, waiting until he heard the okay from his leader to open the door. They walked in, stopping a bit away from the redhead's desk.

"Kazekage-sama, something serious has happened." The man announced after a respective bow.

Gaara sighed and glanced up, but his annoyed look vanished the second he saw Akito, and was replaced with worry. "What happened?" he asked standing and walking over to the boy, kneeling down and examining him. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt?" he asked, actually sounding concerned as he tilted the young Uchiha's head slightly, seeing some blood and searching for a wound that was not there.

The Kazekage looked down then, taking Akito's hands and turning them over. "What happened?" he repeated.

"It's not my blood." Was all Akito said.

"Kazekage-sama," the Jounin spoke up, getting the redhead's attention. "Apparently Uchiha-san and another boy got into a scuffle at the playground. I do not know the details, but when I arrived on the scene Toshiro-sama was trying to pull Uchiha-san off another boy's body. That boy is currently on his way to the hospital, as he was beaten unconscious."

Gaara glared up at the Jounin, looking very unpleased. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear any of that because I was so distracted by the incorrect suffix you used."

The man blinked, and then realized his blunder. "Um…Uchiha-sama?" he said, though it came out as a question, because he wasn't sure if it was the right answer.

The elder stood, placing a reassuring hand on Akito's head. "Akito-sama." He corrected him. "Now, I'm sure there was a perfectly good explanation as to why he was lashed at. Children aren't always the kindest of nature. So I suggest you actually investigate instead of jumping to conclusions, and leave the matters of my family to Sakura and I. Are we clear?"

"Yes, my apologies Kazekage-sama." The man bowed. "I shall see to it right away." He said, before exiting the office, leaving the two alone.

Gaara glanced down once more, clearing his throat so he had the boy's attention. "So what happened?"

Akito looked up at the redhead, his eyes still devoid of all feeling. "Toshiro and I were walking, and he was telling me about this game that I saw the kids playing. The ball came over to us, so I kicked it back onto the field, but all the kids just stared at me. And then this boy, Jin, came up and said that I was showing off, because I think that I'm better than everyone else."

The redhead sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Come here." He gestured, Akito came over to him, still appearing the same. "Akito, you can't let things like that get to you. You have an extraordinary bloodline that so many people are jealous of. People are going to think you hold yourself higher than them, even though you don't. You know, when I was little, people called me a monster and hated me, and I had no one that I could rely on. So I want you to know that if you ever feel like that again, hold it in and run home and you and I can just let go and you can get all your anger out with me, and we can exercise with it. Alright?"

"But…he said that nobody wanted me." Akito said, sounding broken. "He said you only brought me here because of my eyes. And he said that my father probably didn't even want me either." His lower lip trembled a bit, and he unconsciously clenched his fists at his sides.

Gaara smiled slightly, placing his hand on Akito's head once more. "Akito, do you really think that if I didn't want you I would have taken you to my home and saved you from that psycho blonde? I will admit, at first I was surprised. I already had three children. All of who are difficult to deal with in their own way, but you are just as much a part of my family now as they are. And do not listen to what anyone says. I know it sometimes might be hard to believe, but your father loved you, as much as he could love someone. You were the world to him. And you are the world to us too."

"I just wish I could've seen him…before…" the young boy trailed off and looked away, not needing to go into detail. "I never really cared when he went on missions, because he always came back, and he barely ever got hurt." His gaze met Gaara's once more, but now it was almost back to normal, which was a good sign.

"Sometimes, it's better that we are left with the memories of seeing them, than their final moments." He said, remembering the details of what Sakura had told him. And it sounded pretty gruesome. "After all, now you only remember the good things, instead of him dying."

"I guess." Akito sighed. "So…you're not mad at me? For what I did?" he asked, somewhat hesitant. Usually when he got into trouble with his father he was punished by an increased, rigorous training regimen, not to mention he had to live with his father's disappointment for however long it lasted, and that was the worst part. He hated it when people were disappointed in him, it was worse than anger.

Gaara shrugged and waved it off. "Trust me. I seriously doubt that what you did was out of malicious intent. There's always a few kids who are complete asses. I just don't want you making a habit of it." The redhead smirked, messing up the young boy's hair.

"Eh," Akito waved it off, smiling slightly. "If the other Genin from Suna are all talk and no game like that kid was, I highly doubt they're worth my time." He joked.

"Well," Gaara leaned back, smirking. "I have to say, if anyone will be in competition to you, I have a feeling it's going to be Natsumi."

He shrugged, the smile still on his face. "We'll just have to see." He looked around then. "So…can we go home now? I don't want everyone to worry, since I didn't go with Toshiro to get the girls."

The redhead laughed and nodded, "Well then Natsumi's probably freaking out. I know she's taken a fancy to you quite quickly." Gaara walked over to his desk and arranged a few things so it was all in order before pushing his chair in. "I wonder what's for dinner tonight."

"Whatever it is I bet its good. I like Sakura's cooking." The Uchiha's eyes widened in slight alarm. "Please don't tell her I said that. She'll get all weird and emotional."

"Please." Gaara scoffed, walking out with Akito. "You think _I_ want to deal with that either?"

"Well you married her." Akito pointed out with a smirk.

"Only because she's amazing and puts up with me." He pointed out, not caring that some of the villagers were staring in utter surprise that their Kazekage was being so animated and talkative, with an equally normal Uchiha.

"I wonder if I'll ever find someone who will put up with me." The boy wondered aloud.

They both thought for a while before Gaara spoke. "I think you will. You Uchihas are pretty good looking and strong. Plus, if I could find someone, I know you will. I mean, I tried to kill Sakura when we were little. So you never know who the right one is." He snickered then and nudged the boy. "Maybe it's even someone like Natsumi."

Akito gave the redhead a skeptical look. He wasn't sure if he would be able to put with someone like Natsumi for the rest of his life. By then they were coming upon the Kazekage's mansion. When they entered the house, they could barely take two steps into the front room before Sakura was running out of the kitchen towards them.

"Akito, are you okay?" she asked, checking him over despite having heard from Toshiro that he was just fine. "I was so worried."

"I'm fine." He sighed, pulling away from her. It was strange, nobody had ever been worried about him before. But he liked it. A little. Not enough to stick around to be coddled though. "I'm just gonna go wash up for dinner." He said, before disappearing up the stairs.

Sakura looked to her husband. "Is he really okay, or is he just saying that?" she asked, a bit unsure.

"He's fine." Gaara nodded. "There's not a scratch on him. Just the other kid's blood. I've already talked to him and I think everything will be good." That's when they both heard a loud yell and a thump from upstairs. The Kazekage sighed. "I think Natsumi just saw him."

Upstairs, Natsumi had Akito on the ground, hugging him tightly. "Akito! Are you ok?! I heard a stupid fat lard was being mean to you!" she nuzzled him affectionately. "When you weren't at school I thought you had died!"

He scoffed. "I wouldn't die by the hands of some loser. I'm fine. This isn't even my blood." He said, just laying there and letting her hug him.

She sat up and hovered her face over his, staring so intently at his eyes that he felt as if she might be staring into his soul. "So you're ok?" she finally asked.

"Yes. I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile.

She smiled, nuzzling him once more. "What are you doing?" Satomi asked, standing in the hallway awkwardly.

Akito looked over at the other pink haired girl. "Natsumi was making sure I'm ok." Was all he said, since that was all they were doing.

"Okay." she blinked. "Natsumi get off. Don't you remember that talk we had about personal boundaries?" the elder twin sighed, arching a delicate brow.

"Oh Akito doesn't mind," she smiled, nuzzling him once more.

"I don't mind a whole lot, but I would like to wash this blood off my hands." He pointed out, raising his hands to show them to her.

Natsumi blinked and got off, dragging him up and pulling him into the bathroom. "Alright! I'll help you."

Akito looked confused and then went wide eyed when she pulled his blood-stained shirt over his head. "Wait, what are you-" he tried to say, but was silenced once more when she turned on the shower and shoved him in.

She took his hands and began to wash them with soap. "Scrub. Scrub. Scrub. Wash. Wash. Wash." She sang.

"I can do it myself you know." He gave her a light glare, though he didn't stop her from tending to him.

Natsumi stopped and looked up at him, finally realizing what she was doing and that she was probably being annoying. "Oh…I'm sorry." She frowned and hurried out of the bathroom.

Akito sighed and rolled his eyes, finishing rinsing off all of the blood. When he was done, he turned off the shower and got out, grabbing his discarded, bloody shirt and going to his room to change clothes. When he reemerged from his room, he could smell a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen, and knew that Sakura was probably almost done with dinner.

He went downstairs and entered the kitchen, grabbing the stack of plates that were on the counter and taking them into the dining room, setting the table. "Yo, yo, yo. Akito." Toshiro said, walking in and sitting down on his normal spot. "I see you're all good. How was your shower?"

"Weird." Satomi interjected as she came in, looking bored and sitting down as well.

"Pretty much." He agreed, going back into the kitchen and grabbing the silverware and napkins. "Where's Natsumi?" he asked as he set everything up.

Toshiro shrugged, obviously not caring as his mother brought in a plate of steaks and a salad. She went back and pulled out the baked potatoes and sat everything in the center of the table before taking her usual spot.

"Thank you for setting the table Akito." She smiled kindly at him.

"You're welcome." The boy said before going and grabbing everyone a glass of water. When he came back Gaara and Natsumi were still absent, so he just took his seat like everyone else.

It wasn't much later until Gaara came in and took his seat. "Natsumi has informed me she is not hungry." He explained to the group as he placed his napkin in his lap.

"Why? Is she feeling okay?" Sakura asked, concerned.

The elder redhead just shrugged. "She just said she wasn't hungry and she wanted to go to sleep. So whatever. At least she's sleeping." He sighed, picking the best looking steak and putting it on his plate and beginning to eat.

"Alright then." She said, also beginning to fill her plate. Everyone else did the same, though Akito couldn't help but wonder throughout the entire meal if the youngest's absence was his fault.

When dinner was over Akito excused himself from the table and went upstairs, going down the hall until he was in front of Natsumi's bedroom door. He hesitated, wondering if it was okay for him to enter. Then he grabbed the door and quietly entered, shutting it before walking over to where he bed was located. "Natsumi?" he whispered, wondering if she was actually asleep. Not getting a response, he walked closer and took a look at her face. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was even. He reached out and brushed some of her hair from her face, and when he saw her body tense slightly, he knew that she wasn't really asleep.

"Natsumi…are you mad at me?" he asked softly, hoping she would answer him this time.

She pulled the covers up and shook her head, hiding her face from him. "I'm just tired…"

"But…you ran out of the bathroom…and you didn't come to dinner…" he trailed off.

"Cause' I'm not hungry." She said a bit more harshly.

"Um…okay…I'll just leave you alone then." He backed away from her bed, turning to head to the door.

She tried to hold it in, but she could already feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. She hated being annoying and she knew she was, and even now, making it worse by making him worried. "Night." She whispered as strongly as she could.

He looked back at her and frowned slightly. "Goodnight. I hope you sleep well." He said, before leaving her room as quietly as he had entered. He went back to his own room, dressing and getting ready for bed. As he snuggled into his sheets, he couldn't help but hope that Natsumi would be back to her old self tomorrow. Because no matter how annoying she got, he liked her better when she talked his ear off than when she was silent.


	6. Praise

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Six_

-Praise-

Sakura hummed to herself as she put together everyone's sandwiches for lunch. Today had been a pretty good day so far. Everyone had slept in, as they always did on Saturdays, having a wonderful family brunch of omelets and bacon. Then they all split up to go and get ready for their days. Gaara had taken Toshiro and Natsumi off to train with their sand, Satomi was out front pulling weeds from the flower beds, since she enjoyed gardening, and Akito was training in the backyard.

It had been two weeks since the incident with Akito attacking that other boy at the playground, and so far nothing bad had happened. Akito had picked up on the way things were run in their house, and was even doing chores around the house without having to be asked. She could even see a bit of a change in the stoic boy, and she had to admit it was a nice one. He and Toshiro were getting along famously, and he and Gaara were even able to joke around with one another occasionally. Natsumi was acting a little weird around Akito, but Sakura supposed it was just that she was still adjusting, and Satomi didn't really care one way or the other.

Finishing the sandwiches, she set them all on the table before going outside to the front where Satomi was. "Satomi, lunch is ready." She announced. She had sent a picnic lunch with Gaara for him and the other kids, knowing that when they were all three training together, they wouldn't be home until dinner time.

"Okay Mom, I'll be inside in a bit." The pink haired girl said as she pulled out another weed.

Sakura nodded before going inside and walking over to the back to inform Akito that lunch was finished. She went out into the backyard, stopping when she saw that he was in the middle of a difficult move.

He was holding Sasuke's sword, and it looked like he was working on a move with it. His body was tensed, and with extreme control, Akito turned and slashed out with the weapon. He then began to do a few fancy turns of the sword, before tossing it into the air and turning swiftly, taking out two kunai and throwing them into a nearby tree before holding out his hand and catching the sword with perfection.

Unable to help herself, Sakura began to clap, getting the boy's attention. "Akito, that was amazing!" she smiled, walking off the porch and over to him.

He just looked astonished and he quickly put away his father's sword. "You were watching?" he asked, sounding a bit alarmed.

"Just that last move. I didn't even know you knew how to do that. Did the instructor Gaara got for you teach you that?" she asked, stopping before him.

"No…" Akito looked off. "I taught it to myself."

Sakura smiled brightly at him. "Well it was really good."

His deep green gaze met hers, and he appeared confused. "But it was poorly executed. My movements were too slow, my spin was sloppy, and I almost didn't catch the sword as it fell. If I were in a real fight right then, my opponent had seven different openings in which to either kill me or land a fatal blow."

The pink haired woman just blinked. Did he really analyze all of his movements that critically? Then she remembered that Sasuke was this boy's father, and understood. Sasuke was a hard-ass, and so it made sense that he would critique Akito so harshly, as well as expect him to know everything he did wrong as well.

She smiled down at him, and squat so that they were eye level. "Akito," she placed her hand on his arm, "that doesn't matter. Nobody does a move perfectly when they are just learning how to do it. That's just ridiculous. But for someone who is just learning a move, you did a wonderful job."

"You…don't care that I messed up?" he asked softly, searching her face for deceit.

"No." she shook her head and stood, looking down at him. "Because the only reason we train and train so much, is to get better. If you performed your new moves perfectly the first day that you did them every time, you would run out of moves to do eventually." She explained. "Besides, the best moves take time to become great, you don't just learn them in one day."

He thought about her words, not finding any fault with her logic. "So, you don't think I'm learning it too slowly?"

"I think you are learning it faster than anyone else would be able too, and I'm very proud of you." She smiled brightly and placed her hand on his head. Her eyes widened then when Akito's arms suddenly wrapped around her waist in a hug.

"Thanks Mom." He said softly, only causing Sakura's eyes to widen even more. She smiled then, and returned his embrace.

"You're welcome son." She said softly, tears gathering in her eyes.

Then Akito broke away from her grasp and looked up at her. "I'm sorry! It was an accident, if you don't want me to call you that, it's okay. I understand, cause' I'm not your son, and-"

"Akito." Sakura said, stopping him. She was surprised, as this was the most he had ever said to her. She smiled reassuringly. "I would love it if you would call me mom, just like my other children do."

"But, I'm not one of your kids." He pointed out.

"Maybe not biologically." She said, brushing some of his hair from his eyes. "But I love you as much as I love my other kids. You are just as important to me."

He gave her a small, hesitant smile, until it turned into a full one. "Okay." He said, then, just as quickly as his smile was there, it vanished, and he gave her a serious look, appearing very much like his deceased father. "But you can't tell anyone, or make a big deal out of it. Because if I find out you did, I will never call you mom again." He threatened.

"What? But that's not fair." Sakura whined, sounding like a child.

"Life isn't fair Mom, you just gotta deal with it." he crossed his arms. "Do you swear not to make it a big deal?" he raised a brow.

The woman sighed in exasperation. "Fine. I swear not to make a big deal out of it."

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart." She made the motions on her chest where her heart was.

"Good." Akito nodded. "So, what did you come out here for?"

Sakura smiled. "I just came to tell you that lunch is ready. I made grilled chicken sandwiches."

"Awesome, I love it when you make those." He began to walk back towards the house. Then he turned around and pointed his sword at her. "You're not allowed to make a big deal out of that either."

"Well," Sakura smirked, walking over to him and placing her hand on his shoulder as they walked into the house together. "Aren't you bossy all of a sudden."

"Yup, you'll just have to get used to it." he smirked as well. Sakura chuckled as she closed the door, following him towards the kitchen where Satomi was already seated and eating.

She would admit that this was an unexpected turn of events for her day, but she was not displeased with it. Akito had finally called her mom, and had even complimented her cooking. Yes, today was going to be a pretty good day indeed.

* * *

Akito sat in the center of his bed, carefully and precisely sharpening his father's sword. It had been a few days since he had first called Sakura mom, and he was pleasantly surprised that she had actually followed her word. She hadn't made it into a big deal, nor had she announced it to anyone else in the family. It was nice, and he was actually glad that he had gotten to have that moment with her.

When he finished sharpening the sword he pulled out a polishing kit and began to polish the blade with the utmost care. He stopped then and looked up, seeing Satomi standing in the doorway of his room. He just stared at her expectantly, knowing that she was probably standing there for a reason.

"Do you want to make pottery with me?" she asked, actually not sounding like her normal bored self.

"Pottery? Like with clay?" he asked, slightly confused.

She nodded. "Yeah. I can teach you if you don't know how."

"Okay." He said, putting away the polish. "Just let me put away my father's sword real quick." Once he put everything away he turned back to her. "So, where are we going to make the pottery?"

"The art room of course." She rolled her eyes, turning from him and heading down the hall.

"I didn't know we had an art room." He said, following her.

"Yup." She told him. "We do." She led him downstairs and down one of the halls he'd actually yet to go down, and they came upon a large room filled with different types of artwork. "Here's the art room." she gestured to the room. One wall was filled with supplies on shelves. On the opposite wall from the door were four bookcases, three filled with different styles of crafts. She walked over to them and glanced back at him. "This is where we put all our stuff." Then she stepped aside and touched the empty one. "I put this one up for you."

Akito's eyes widened and he walked over, looking at the shelf. Then he looked at Satomi, and smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"It's ok. I thought you might want a place to put your stuff when you were done so we could show it off too." She smiled slightly.

"It might take me a while to fill it up like your shelf, but I think I can do it." he said. Then he looked over at the two pottery wheels. "I kind of know how those work, but not the specifics. I've never made art before." He admitted, shrugging a bit sheepishly.

She went over to the shelf and opened a sealed container and then pulled out two large blocks of clay. She set one on the wheel he was going to use and placed her own down as well. "That's okay. If you want you can watch me at first. And then try, it's all about shaping." She explained, setting her foot on the motor and causing it to spin. She wet her hands in one of the prepared bowls and started to round the block.

Akito watched her for a few seconds, before going over to his own and doing the same. It was a bit weird at first, but he felt like he was getting the hang of it. He continued to glance over at Satomi every once in a while, until he was sure he knew what to do. The only difficult part was shaping it into a vase, and then adding a design into it while it spun.

They continued to do this for about an hour, both working in silence, only speaking when Akito asked her a question, or when she was giving him a helpful hint. They even discussed the weather, but it wasn't in the corny way that people do when they are trying to come up with conversation, it was actually really casual.

When they finished, they placed their vases on the drying shelf and washed their hands. "How long until they will be done and ready to paint?" Akito asked her curiously as they scrubbed the clay from their hands.

"Well it'll be about three days. Cause' they have to dry. Then we can paint them with the high gloss and put them in the kiln." She dried her hands then and tossed the towel to him. "So, want to get something to eat?"

He caught the towel easily, drying his hands. "Sounds good. I'm starving."

They left the art room then, heading off to the kitchen to make themselves something to eat.

* * *

Four days later found Akito and Satomi standing back in the art room, both examining their vases. "Wow, they came out really nicely." Akito said as he turned his in his hands.

Satomi nodded and looked over to him. "So what do you want to do with them?"

"We should give them to Mom and Dad. Isn't that what kids do when they make stuff? Give it to their parents?" he asked, giving her an unsure look.

The elder twin blinked, looking like she was deep in thought. "I've actually never given them anything I've made before. Alright." she actually smiled. "Let's do it."

Akito smiled as well, and the both of them went into the living room, where Gaara and Sakura were seated on the couch, snuggled against each other and each reading a book. Sakura looked up from what she was reading and blinked, as both Akito and Satomi were standing before them and holding something behind their backs. She cleared her throat, looking over to her husband. Seeing that he was still reading, she rolled her eyes and nudged him in the side with her elbow.

The redhead glanced at her and then up at the two, closing his book and looking at them. "What?"

"Mom. Dad. Akito and I made you guys something." Satomi said, revealing her vase she had made and offering it to her mother.

"I made you this one." Akito said, revealing his own vase. It wasn't as perfect as Satomi's, being a bit misshapen with a few lumps. Then he smiled brightly, as did Satomi.

The elder Sabakus blinked, before exchanging a look with one another. Gaara focused back on Akito and the gift he'd been made. He took it carefully and assessed it. Sakura did the same with Satomi's, returning her daughter's beautiful smile.

"Thank you sweetie. It's wonderful." She said, reaching out and bringing her daughter closer, kissing her forehead. "I love it."

Akito glanced sideways at the two pink haired females before returning his gaze to Gaara, waiting to hear what the redhead thought about his vase.

"You made this for me?" Gaara asked, still looking at it.

"Yes." Akito responded.

He smiled somewhat and met the boy's gaze. "Thank you. I really like it."

"Really? You don't care that it isn't perfect?" Akito asked, seeming a bit astonished.

"Uh…no. Does it matter if it's perfect? I mean, you made it and that's really nice. None of my children have ever given me something they made before." He shrugged. Sakura couldn't help but smile at the entire situation, since she knew firsthand Akito's insecurities about perfection. Something she was sure would take time to get rid of.

Akito smiled once more. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"I'll put it somewhere special." The redhead promised.

The young boy just nodded. Sakura let out a sigh and stood. "I'm going to go start dinner." She kissed the top of Satomi's head, and then Akito's, which he surprisingly allowed. "Thank you both for the wonderful presents."

"You're welcome." They both said at the same time, still smiling. Akito looked at Satomi then.

"You wanna go out front and pull up some weeds while dinner's being made? I saw some this morning, and I don't want you to have to do it by yourself. Plus it's cooler since its evening."

Satomi nodded and then the two headed out into the front yard just as Natsumi was coming down the steps. She walked into the living room and sat by her father, who smiled lovingly at her. "Hello sweetheart. How have you been? You've been strangely quiet for a while. Is something wrong?" he asked, wanting to make sure his youngest was alright.

"I'm fine Daddy." She sighed looking forward. "I'm trying not to be so annoying."

Gaara sat up straight and stared down at his daughter, alarm written on his face. "Did someone tell you that you were annoying?" he demanded.

Natsumi shook her head and sighed. "No…I just know I am, so I'm trying to be mellow. Kinda like Satomi, since everyone really likes her."

The redhead sighed and leaned back, placing his arm around his daughter. "You know, I think Natsumi's pretty great too." He smiled.

She returned it, but only slightly. "Thanks. But I'm sure it's for the better." She pat his leg and got up, heading out to go into the backyard. Gaara watched her leave and stood, meeting his wife in the kitchen.

"Natsumi's been…strange as of late."

She looked at him as she cut up vegetables for their dinner. "I know what you mean. She doesn't seem as…vibrant as she usually is." Her brow furrowed slightly. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

He shook his head and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "She says that she's annoying and wants to be like Satomi."

"What? Who told her she was annoying?" Sakura asked, stopping in her task.

"She said no one. And I don't think anyone did, or she probably would have come home crying." He explained, but then shrugged. "I don't know. It's weird."

The pink haired woman sighed. "Do you think I should talk to her about it?"

"I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, it's not like it's completely a bad thing. The house isn't as loud, even with four kids."

"True. I'm sure she'll be fine after a while. After all, there's no way she'll be able to stay like Satomi for too long. I don't think she has it in her to be that quiet." She chuckled, beginning to chop the vegetables once more.

"Exactly." The redhead smirked, moving behind his wife and wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing against her from behind and kissing her neck. "But enough about the kids, let's focus on us." He whispered, grinding against her.

"Gaara." She moaned softly, putting the knife down and placing her hands over his. "Dinner will be late you know." She smiled, turning her head backwards and kissing the underside of his jaw, nipping it lightly.

He moved to kiss her lips, enjoying the feel of her body against his. "Mom!" Toshiro yelled, making them both break apart, cursing under their breath. The younger redhead came in and sighed. "Satomi and Akito threw dirt at me!"

"So go wash it off sweetheart." She said, trying her best not to be irritated with her eldest just because she was horny now.

"But I don't want a shower, and they got it in my hair! I need you to help me." He huffed. Gaara sighed and went to his son, pushing him out.

"Come on pansy. Let's go clean your hair."

"Dinner will be ready shortly, so don't take too long. And I'm making something special for dessert." She winked at her husband as she picked up the knife once more.

The Kazekage smirked, already excited as he led his son off to help him get dirt out of his hair. The rest of the night progressed normally, and dinner went smoothly. And Gaara and Sakura designated the kids to cleaning up and hurried upstairs before their self-control broke free.

Toshiro and Satomi took to washing the dishes and handing them off to Akito and Natsumi to put away. And after that was done, they all got ready for bed and went off to their separate rooms, drowning out the sounds coming from the master bedroom down the hall.

* * *

The next day Akito made his way to the Kazekage Tower, having been asked by Sakura to take Gaara his lunch, since he had forgotten it at home. He walked into the building and waved at the receptionist before heading up the stairs and going to the redhead's office.

He walked right into the office, since he didn't really see the point in knocking. It wasn't like Gaara was in a meeting or anything, and he didn't sense any other chakra signatures in the room. The Kazekage glanced up with the disturbance and nodded to Akito. "Hey punk." He said, continuing his paper work.

"Sup." He walked up to the desk and placed the bento on it. "You forgot your lunch, so Mom asked me to bring it to you."

"Thanks. Now I don't have to take a break to go get it." he replaced the pen in his new holder that was set up on his desk, and took the box to look inside and see what was prepared.

Akito watched his movements, and his eyes widened when he realized that what Gaara was using to hold his pens was in fact the vase he had given him the day before. "You're actually…using my vase?" he asked in astonishment.

The redhead glanced up at him and then to the gift. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do? I've actually been looking for something to hold my pens and it was perfect. Very useful actually." He touched the rim and turned it slightly. "So thanks again."

Akito felt something akin to happiness well up inside his chest. He actually didn't expect Gaara to put it anywhere special like he said he would. He just figured that it would be either thrown away, or put up in a box, where nobody would see it. But the fact that it was now sitting on his desk, where everyone would see it, and when asked, he'd say that it was from him, Uchiha Akito, it just made him happy. He felt like he had actually accomplished something without meaning too.

The ebony haired boy smiled. "You're welcome…Dad." He said softly, looking a bit unsure. "Is it okay if I call you that?"

Gaara looked surprised and at first he didn't answer. "Of course you can Akito. As long as you want to." The redhead gave him a small smirk. "You are my family. So it does make sense and for you to see me as such…really means a lot. I'd be happy if you did."

"Okay." Akito's smile widened. Then he ran around the desk and hugged Gaara, quickly letting go before he became embarrassed and then running from the room. Not even a second later Akito poked his head back in. "Bye Dad, have a good day at work." And then he was gone, closing the office door behind him.

The Kazekage stared after him, absolutely astonished with the young Uchiha's actions. He leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself. It turned out that Sasuke was right in sending him here, and he actually felt like he was getting through to him. Everyone in the family loved him as well, and the villagers were even seeing him as the Kazekage's son, instead of the last Uchiha.

Gaara had a feeling that everything was going to turn out just fine. Because for once, everything appeared in order.


	7. Diverted Attention

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Seven_

-Diverted Attention-

Akito looked around the backyard, panting heavily as he examined where all of his kunai had hit. He had intensified his training as of late, planning to prove to the village that he was worthy of being a Suna shinobi, as well as deserving their respect. Not because Gaara made them give it to him, but because he had earned it. Seeing that they had all hit the targets perfectly, he went to go and removed them all from the trees and other places he had thrown them.

Things were going pretty great for him recently, and he had to admit that it made him happy. He was calling Gaara and Sakura mom and dad, and it was nice to say. It was like he had real parents now. He would never forget his father, and he never knew his mother, but it was nice to have a mom and dad. He and Toshiro treated each other like brothers, and even Satomi had warmed up to him. Now at least once a week they made some type of craft together, or did some work in the garden. He didn't particularly enjoy gardening as a task, but when it was all finished, it made him feel accomplished to say that he had helped make it look nice. And he got to spend time with his sister.

The only one who didn't seem to really accept him in the house was Natsumi, and that confused Akito. When he had first arrived she had been welcoming and chatty, but as of late she'd been acting weird. Ever since he'd come home with blood on his hands from beating up Jin, and that had been almost three months ago. Had he scared her? He wasn't sure. She was still nice to him, but really quiet, and it seemed as if she had lost some of her exuberance.

Shrugging it off, he pulled the last kunai out of the last training target and headed back towards the house. His mom had bought him a whole new set of things to train with, having come home one day and found a bunch of knicks in the bark. She had been really upset about it, but he told her that if he had the proper equipment, this wouldn't have happened. So, with a sigh and a shake of her head, she had let it drop and gotten him all this stuff.

He went inside the cool house and upstairs, putting away all of his kunai before grabbing a clean set of clothes. Dinner was going to start soon, and he didn't want to be all stinky and sweaty for it. So he headed down the hall and to the bathroom, grabbing the handle and walking in, stopping dead in his tracks when he realized that it was occupied already.

Natsumi blinked and then suddenly screamed. It was the loudest and most shrill thing he'd ever heard and he had to cover his ears to attempt to block it out. "What are you doing?!" she demanded, ripping her towel off the hanger and covering her body with it, since she had just been stepping out of the shower when he came in.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know anybody was in here. I was just going to get a shower before dinner." He said.

"Well, get out!" she pointed towards the door, her face a dark cherry red. "You pervert!"

"Accidentally walking in doesn't make me a pervert stupid." He said, turning on his heel and closing the door behind him. As he was walking to the other bathroom, Sakura came down the hall.

"What's going on?" she asked in concern.

"Natsumi's being a girl." Was all Akito said, walking past her and putting his clothes in the other bathroom.

The pink haired woman walked over to the closed door and knocked. "Natsumi, sweetheart, are you alright?" she asked through the wood.

The door flew open and Natsumi ran out, still only in a towel and stomped down the steps. "Daddy!" she screamed, stopping in the doorway to the living room. "Akito walked in on me and called me stupid too!" she told her father, who just looked confused.

"Huh?"

"That's not how it went!" Akito yelled, running down that stairs and stopping next to Natsumi. "Don't listen to her Dad, she's just being hysterical." He said.

Natsumi eyes widened and her glare focused on Akito, full of animosity. "What?" she seethed. Gaara stood and walked between his daughter and his taken in son, shoving them apart.

"Natsumi calm down. I'm sure Akito didn't mean to walk in on you."

"What?!" the pink haired girl screamed. "You're taking _his_ side?!"

"It _was_ an accident Natsumi, and I apologized." Akito said, crossing his arms. "Besides, it's not like you have anything worth seeing, so I don't understand why you're making this into such a big deal."

Natsumi went wide eyed and glared at the dark haired boy once more. Gaara actually tried not to laugh and cleared his throat. "Now Natsumi-"

"You jerk!" she yelled, hitting Akito over the head. "I hate you! And I hate you!" she pointed at Gaara, running back upstairs and right past Sakura, who looked even more confused.

The redhead sighed, shaking his head. "Well this should be a fun day."

Akito just frowned. "Yeah." He said, going back upstairs, passing Sakura once more, who was going downstairs to ask Gaara what exactly was going on, since she couldn't get anything out of Natsumi, who had shut herself in her room.

He walked down the hall, stopping when he was in front of the pink haired girl's room. "Natsumi," he knocked twice, "can we talk?"

"No! Go away." She yelled through the door.

"Please?"

"If you don't go away, I'll make you go away." She threatened. Toshiro walked out from his room and past them on his way to the bathroom.

"I'd get away from that door if I were you." He yawned, closing the door behind him.

Akito glanced at the bathroom door before looking back at Natsumi's. "Look, I'm really sorry about everything. I didn't mean what I said, I swear."

"I said go away!" she screamed as sand shot out from beneath the door, forcing him away and barricading anyone from getting near it.

He sighed before walking over to the bathroom where his things were and closing the door behind him, turning on the water and taking a quick shower. When he finished he noticed that Natsumi still had sand around her door, and so assumed she wasn't going to be eating dinner with them once more.

He didn't understand what her problem was. It wasn't like he had walked in on her on purpose. And the time she had walked in on him he hadn't gotten mad at her. It was an accident, and she'd apologized. No harm done, right? But apparently his apology wasn't good enough for her. But what else was he supposed to do, especially if she wouldn't talk to him. He sighed once more. Girls were just too complicated.

Tossing his dirty clothes in the hamper, he left his room and went downstairs, taking his seat at the table with everyone else.

"Is Natsumi still in her room?" Sakura asked.

"Yes." He replied, filling his plate with food.

"She's such a freak." Toshiro snickered, already digging in.

Satomi looked over at her mom. "How come she's so mad? She's done way more annoying things to Akito than him accidently seeing her naked. It's not like there's anything nice to see yet anyways." She sighed.

"That's what I told her, but she just got all huffy and shut herself in her room." Akito said. "She wouldn't even let me try to apologize. I don't understand what her problem is." He shoved a forkful of potatoes in his mouth.

"Don't worry Akito, she'll calm down. She's just having trouble with diverted attention. She's kind of selfish in that way, and as much as she likes you, I think she's just trying to learn how to share attention more than she already has too." Gaara tried to explain to the boy. "Just give her some time to simmer down. She's too happy to keep that against you for long. So no worries."

"I still think it's dumb." He muttered.

"There's lots of things that girls do that you'll think are dumb sweetheart." Sakura said, smiling over at him. "But it's best to learn how to deal with it now than have some woman in your hair all the time turning your world upside down. Isn't that right Gaara?" she asked her husband, wry amusement in her emerald orbs.

The elder redhead gave his wife a small smirk and nodded. "All I can say is that silence is never a good answer. It's better to say something stupid and apologize for it than not say anything at all. Because they always interpret silence as some horrible answer. Which isn't true. Persistence is the key. A woman always wants a man to come after her."

Akito looked at Sakura. "Is that true Mom?"

"Yes." She nodded. "It reassures us that you really care, and that you still want us if you come after us, even if we were the ones in the wrong. Though occasionally we'll come after you, if we love you enough to suck up our pride and do so."

"But I wouldn't hold your breath for that one son." Gaara snickered, continuing to eat. "They usually only realize their blunder after the fact of your groveling. But when you find the one that's worth it, it won't really matter." He smiled to his wife then. "I'd rather have her than her admit some of her mishaps."

"And that includes sisters?" Toshiro huffed, looking a bit tired since it seemed like a lot of work.

"Cause' that seems more like what you'd do for the woman you want to marry." Akito said.

Gaara just laughed. "Well, you care about your sisters more than normal girls right?"

Both boys nodded. Satomi just watched the table, enjoying that she didn't have to be part of the conversation. "And you want them to be happy and protect them too right? After all, that's a big brother's job, as well as a husband's. It's like…practice for your future. If you can't take care of your sister, then how could you take care of another woman who does far more irritating things?"

"I guess that makes sense." The young Uchiha conceded. "But at least with the other woman we'll get to do stuff with them, so that kind of balances it out, right?"

"Hey now." Gaara pointed his fork at the boy. "No thoughts like that until you're at _least_ sixteen. Got it? We don't need you going off and torturing the poor girls of Suna with your wang. And same goes for you Toshiro. You understand me?"

Satomi was just wide eyed and covered her face with her hands. "I don't wanna hear this!" she said loudly, moving her hands over her ears.

Akito sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I know." He waved it off, returning to his food. The rest of the meal was pretty normal and when they finished, Satomi and Sakura took the plates and started the dishes in the kitchen. Before either boy could get up, Gaara cleared his throat and got their attention.

"Listen here boys. I know this is confusing to you now, but on this matter about girls. As brothers you need to be protective of your little sisters. Because one day other boys will find them attractive, and try and mislead them into being with them, and you need to protect them. It's your duty."

"So you want us to keep them from dating using our superior skill and intimidation tactics?" Akito asked. "That seems like the easiest way."

The Kazekage laughed and nodded. "If you see fit. But I need to know you guys are going to take care of them. So, I want you to promise me you will always protect them. No matter what. Even if you're just protecting their feelings or even in a battle. Can you guys do that?"

Toshiro nodded. "But won't it be hard?"

"Not if you both work together. You guys can even pick which one you'll protect so you each only have one sister to worry about, and can trust each other with the other."

"Okay, then I'll protect Satomi." Akito said, nodding. This would be easy, and that way he wouldn't have to deal with too many unnecessary emotions, since he and Satomi were similar.

Gaara nodded and gave Toshiro a small smile. "Can you protect Natsumi?"

He nodded and then sighed, since she was upset. "Which means I have to go make her feel better." He got up from his seat and left the dining room to head upstairs and quail the storm that was his sister's emotions.

After the dishes were done, they went to the living room, each doing their own things. Gaara and Sakura were reading their own books, while Akito sharpened his kunai, and Satomi was drawing in a sketchbook. Toshiro came down the steps with a defeated look. "Dad this is too hard. She's just being mean to me." The redhead sighed.

"Not my problem." Gaara said, a small smirk hidden behind his book.

"Obviously you're not doing it right." Akito commented, not looking up from his task.

Toshiro frowned and crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? Well if you know how to do it, then go up there and convince her to come downstairs and join the family."

"Fine, I will." Akito said confidently, putting his things down before heading up the stairs. He walked down the hallway to Natsumi's bedroom. "Natsumi." He knocked on her door, just as he did before. "Will you please open up?"

The door opened quickly, but all he saw was a pillow that nailed him straight in the face. The door slammed again and locked, leaving them in the same standstill they'd been at all night. Akito sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had to succeed in this. He just had to. That way he could hold this over Toshiro's head for the rest of his life. It would be awesome.

"That was very rude you know." He said. "And uncalled for."

The door opened once more and she actually stuck her head out, glaring at him. "You're rude and uncalled for you big fat chicken butt! I don't call you ugly and unattractive!"

"I never said you were ugly or unattractive!" he said, returning her glare. "Look, I'm sorry I walked in on you, it was an accident. But I didn't flip out on you when you walked in on me that time at my old house. Accidents happen, so the best thing to do is just move on."

"Well I have stuff to look at! And it's pretty darn great! Maybe not ideal yet, but still great!" she huffed, still glaring at him, though she seemed to have calmed a bit.

"I have stuff to look at too. And you totally looked at it by the way." He pointed at her. "But that's beside the point. I didn't mean what I said about it not being _that_ big of a deal, or when I said you were stupid. Cause' you're not." He said. "I was just upset because you accused me of being a pervert."

Natsumi stared at him for a while until she finally looked away. "I'm really annoying…" she frowned.

"Only sometimes." Akito said, stepping forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. "But I like the annoying you better than the quiet you." He gave her a small smile. "Quietness is what Satomi's for."

This only made her cry and she looked extremely sad. "But I don't want to be annoying ever."

Not knowing what else to do, Akito pulled her to him and hugged her. "Natsumi, don't cry. I promise to never call you annoying. I like you just the way you are, please don't try and change."

"But you like Satomi so much better." She sobbed out, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "You always spend so much time with her."

"That's because I thought you didn't like me anymore." He admitted. "You've been acting really strange for the past few months, I thought I did something wrong. But I didn't want to upset you by asking you about it."

She sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "Well you just seemed so annoyed and I didn't want to annoy you anymore."

"I was annoyed because I'd had a pretty rough day, and you just up and ripped my shirt off me." He explained, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "But I always have a better day when I get to see your smiling face, something I haven't seen in a long time."

She lowered her gaze, ashamed. "But Aruna said people who are happy all the time are annoying too."

"Well, technically, everybody is annoying in their own way." He reasoned. "Besides, this Aruna girl sounds like she can be a real pain in the ass, and that's even worse than being annoying. So you're _way_ better than her."

Natsumi didn't look to ecstatic about the fact but sighed. "I'm pretty sure everyone is better than her."

"Regardless, you shouldn't listen to everything she tells you. Because you're smarter than she is." He stroked her cheek. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"I don't think you're annoying at all. Just a bit difficult at times. And it's my job to protect you and make sure you're happy, so I just have to get used to it." he smiled then.

She stared at him, looking confused, but then smiled fully for the first time in months. "Okay." She whispered, a small blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Good." he brushed his thumb over her cheek before glancing towards the stairs. "So, do you want to come downstairs and hang out with the family? If you're hungry, mom left you a plate in the microwave, and I'll sit with you in the kitchen so that you don't have to eat alone."

Her smile faltered for only a moment. She had to remember that his father was dead, and that her parents were treating him as their own. So it was natural for him to call them as such, right? But she still felt uneasy about it, though she didn't know why. "No it's kinda late, so I think I'll just go to bed, but thanks. Though, I am kinda hungry. Will you bring it up to me? And we can hang out in my room until you want to leave or something." She shrugged, rubbing the back of her head.

"Sure thing." He nodded, releasing her and running down the stairs to the kitchen. When he entered the room he saw that Gaara was in there getting a glass of water. "Natsumi's fine now." He announced, opening the microwave and grabbing the plate for Natsumi. "So I'm just going to bring her her dinner, and keep her company."

The redhead actually looked surprised and assessed any damage that might have been done. "And she didn't attempt to kill you? I didn't hear any screaming or thrashing."

Akito shrugged. "She threw a pillow at me, but then she started crying, so I hugged her, and everything got better after that."

Gaara nodded. "Well I'm glad to hear that. So are the dynamics back? Cause' I don't think I can stand two Satomi's."

"I think so. I mean, I got her to smile." Akito announced, smiling proudly at his feat.

"Well good." Gaara smiled as well, handing him a strawberry flavored soda, since it was Natsumi's favorite. "She has such a pretty smile."

"Yeah, she does." Akito took the drink and placed it in the crook of his arm before going over and grabbing a few brownies and putting them on her plate, figuring that she might want some dessert as well. "I'm gonna go ahead and take this up to her, and then I probably won't see you guys until morning, so goodnight." He said, looking back at the redhead. He turned to leave the kitchen, and then hesitated.

"Dad?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder. "Do you think I could switch with Toshiro and protect Natsumi? I think…I think I help her out a lot more…if that makes sense. Not that Toshiro can't…but you know what I mean."

Gaara just smirked, nodding. "Do you promise to protect her? With everything you have in you?"

"I promise. I'll even give up my own life to save her." He nodded firmly.

"Well, let's hope not. I'd hate to lose you too you know." Gaara walked over and pat his head before heading back to the living room. "Night son."

"Night Dad!" he called as he rushed up the stairs. He entered Natsumi's room and found her sitting in the center of her bed.

"Here's your dinner. I also brought you your favorite drink, and some brownies." He told her, walking over and setting it down next to her.

Natsumi blinked and smiled, taking the plate and drink, beginning to eat since she was starving. "Thanks." She told him, offering him one of the brownies.

He took it from her. "No problem." He smiled, biting into the chocolaty goodness. He wasn't one for sweets, but he had to admit, the ones Sakura made were divine.

Natsumi leaned against him, smiling as she ate, not minding this time that there was silence between them. "Sorry I got so upset."

"It's okay. I forgot that girls were a lot more modest than boys." He said. "Since I'm not really used to being around people, I still have a lot of stuff to learn."

"That's ok. I can help you." She smiled brightly.

"That would be great." He returned her smile as he finished off his brownie. "Thanks Natsumi."

"No problem."

Akito stayed with her while she finished her dinner, and then took her plate downstairs when she was done. Both were tired by then, as everyone else had already gone to bed, and so before retiring for the night himself, he went back to Natsumi's room to make sure she didn't need anything else. Saying that she was fine, he bid goodnight to her before going to his room and crawling into his bed.

Sighing, he fell asleep quickly, feeling a sense of accomplishment at having been able to make Natsumi happy, something he'd never really gone out of his way to do.


	8. Fan Girls

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Eight_

-Fan Girls-

A fifteen year old Toshiro and fourteen year old Akito walked down the streets of Suna. "That was some training." The redhead sighed, stretching his hands over his head as Akito nodded with a small smile. Both boys had just finished their routine training with one another, and were now treating themselves to lunch, since they didn't have any mission assignments.

It had been two years since Akito had come to live in Suna, and he had to admit, he really liked it. There were so many festivals, especially at night, and the missions were pouring in from everywhere. He was actually given hard missions to deal with. Though, unlike any of the other teams, his Dad, Gaara, had paired him and Natsumi up, as well as Toshiro and Satomi. Seeing as he didn't want to split up his children, and for them, two was more than enough to get the job done.

But the partner assignment had been recent. Right when Satomi and Natsumi graduated the Academy, the four were sent off to the Chuunin Exams, which they aced flawlessly. "Where do you want to eat today?" Akito asked the boy he considered to be his brother.

"I dunno. I'm really hungry though, so let's pick somewhere fast. And maybe some meat." He nodded excitedly.

"Sounds good to me."

The two headed into the district where most of the restaurants were and moseyed around, trying to agree upon the best place to stop. They froze when they heard a shrill yell and glanced back, to see a mob of young girls running towards them. "Oh God!" Toshiro shouted, running off with Akito right next to him.

"Not again!" the dark haired boy cursed.

As they had gotten older, both boys had become increasingly popular, especially with the ladies. It had gotten to the point of them both having fan clubs who had monthly meetings to vote and discover who would get to date who and for how long. Once they'd even been tricked into coming to one, which was a _huge_ mistake. They'd barely made it out of there with their innocence still intact. "Girls are such freaks!" Toshiro yelled at his brother, not wanting to be assaulted again by the young female population.

"I don't understand why they do this! It's not like we're going to pick freaks who chase us on a daily basis!" Akito said. "Let's try maneuver four-sixteen. They won't see it coming."

Toshiro nodded. "Right. Let's do it."

Akito quickly made a few hand signs, blowing a huge cloud of smoke from his mouth that quickly covered both males. While in the cloud of ash, Toshiro made two sand clones of them both, letting them run from the cloud as the real boys leapt away and onto a nearby roof. Just as expected, the crowd of girls continued to chase the clones.

"Whew." Akito sighed in relief. "That was a close one."

"Yeah it was." Toshiro let out an irritated breath. "Man I hate girls."

"I know right? So irritating." The Uchiha looked around with a calculated gaze. "Should we even risk going somewhere to eat now? Or should we go home and just make ourselves something?"

The redhead sighed. "Well we did promise Satomi and Natsumi we'd meet them and go to lunch together. What do you think?"

Akito frowned. "They'll kill us if we don't meet them for lunch. And I don't feel like dealing with the repercussions today."

Toshiro snickered. "Not my fault you got a handful with Natty."

"Shut up." He punched his friend in the arm. "Just find Natsumi's sand with yours and teleport us over to them. That way we have a smaller chance of running into those freaks again."

The elder boy nodded and placed his hand on Akito's shoulder as the sand around them swirled and took them away into the wind. They moved through the village and then formed in front of an older Natsumi. "You're late." She sighed, as they appeared. "Satomi already headed home cause' she was tired of standing here."

"Sorry." Akito said. "We would have been on time, but those psychos chased us again, so we had to escape them first."

"You mean those psychos?" she blinked, pointing behind them to the mob of girls, who looked pissed. Toshiro and Akito glanced back and went wide eyed.

"Every man for himself!" Toshiro yelled, disappearing in a swirl of sand.

"Get him!" they shouted, pointing at Akito. Natsumi looked to Akito and gripped onto his arm.

"How come they won't leave you alone."

"Because they want to have my child and then marry me, in that order." He explained quickly, forming a few hand seals as he pulled away from her. "I'm sorry about lunch Natsumi. Let's just say I owe you." He said, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The pink haired girl let out a depressed sigh and looked at the now angry faces of the girls who had stopped in front of her. Her gaze hardened and she glared at them. "Leave my brother and Akito alone! They don't like you guys and you have no right." She said defensively, as she normally did when she had to deal with Akito's fan girls.

"Stop being so selfish Natsumi. You can't keep them all to yourself all the time." One girl said.

"I'm not keeping them to myself. It's _my_ brother and _my _Akito." She defended, crossing her arms.

"Not for long. One of these days they're both going to leave you for one of us, and then where will you be?" another girl asked. "All alone, that's what."

Natsumi actually felt her stomach drop from the thought. "No they wouldn't. I know my brother will get married, but Akito wouldn't leave me." She said strongly.

"Why wouldn't he leave you? He's not bound to you, and you can't have him because technically he's your brother." The girl replied, raising a brow.

Her eyes widened. "Akito is _not_ my brother." She said, glaring at them hatefully, her sand swarming dangerously around them. "And he promised me he would always be with me. So back off." She threatened, her emotions becoming a whirlwind inside her. Now she was thinking of what Akito felt for her. Did he think of her as a sister? Then she began to question what she felt. She didn't think of him as her brother, because if she did…Natsumi turned a dark red then, forgetting completely about the angry mob in front of her.

"Why would he stay with you, someone he could never really be with, when he could go out and find some woman to sleep with and have his kids? He's the last Uchiha, and he'll need as many heirs as he can get. That's why we've all volunteered. He's bound to pick one if us some day, but not you. Never _you_."

"How come he wouldn't pick me?" Natsumi asked worriedly.

"Duh, he obviously doesn't think of you the way you do him. I bet he only stays with you because he feels obligated, not cause' he wants to." She sneered.

Rage erupted throughout Natsumi and she moved quickly, slamming her palm into the girl's diaphragm and knocking the wind from her. "Don't you ever say that! You better back off!" she warned, pointing at all of them. She disappeared then, landing on the roof of her house. She held her head between her hands and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It couldn't be true. Akito couldn't think of her as a sister. If he did…then…

She crouched down and tried not to cry. "No." she shook her head, feeling old, dark feelings resurface.

"Natsumi?" Akito's voice asked. He had teleported home, since it was the only place he was truly safe, and had been in the kitchen making himself some lunch. Then he'd felt Natsumi's chakra appear here, but not inside. Concerned, he'd gone out to look for her, and had found her on the roof. But she didn't looked good, and his concern turned to worry.

He rushed over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Natsumi, what's wrong? Did those fan girls attack you? Because if they did I swear I'll make them regret it." he frowned.

She smacked his hand away and covered her face, trying to stop the tears that were streaming down her face. "I don't need you to protect me out of obligation!" she yelled, growing angrier by the second.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Natsumi stood straight and glared at him. "I don't need your help. I can take care of myself! So you don't have to be with me anymore! Ok! So go away!"

Akito actually looked hurt. "You…don't need me anymore?" he asked softly, searching her face. "But…I thought we were a team. We were always going to be a team, like we promised."

"Look." She let out an irritated breath, because the only emotion she was okay with displaying was anger, and even though it wasn't at him, he was the only one there to take it. "I don't want you to do the things you do because you have to, okay? So you don't have any obligations anymore."

"I don't understand where you got this idea from." He said, frowning. "It may have started out as an obligation when I was younger, because Dad said that that's what older brothers are supposed to do, but it isn't any more. I do the things I do because I want to. And it makes me happy to make you happy."

She stared at him warily, looking at his posture and then his face once more. "Really?"

"Yes really." He told her. "My day isn't complete if I don't make you smile at least once." He gave her a devilish grin, something he had picked up a while back and did occasionally, now that he was getting older.

A soft pink blush spread across her cheeks from the look and she swallowed. "Those crazy stalkers said that you would leave me for one of them one day." She said sadly.

Akito sighed and cupped her cheek. "Natsumi, why would I ever spend the rest of my life with some psychotic loser when I am perfectly happy spending my time with you?" he asked. "Those girls are just lying to themselves because they know that no other guy will ever want them."

"So you're never going to leave me?" she asked hopefully, smiling slightly.

"Of course not." He smiled. "We're family, and family always sticks together. Besides, I'd be a terrible brother if I just up and left you all by yourself."

Natsumi's smile fell from her face and she gave him a hard stare. "…My brother…?"

"Well…yeah." He said, not understanding her reaction to his words, since he was expecting something else entirely.

"You're my family Akito, but you are not my brother." She said seriously. It felt like her whole world was crashing down once again. "Okay?" she sniffed, her eyes watering from the knowledge that what those girls had said was true. He would never see her as anything more than a sister, and she didn't want that.

He blinked, and his hand fell from her face. "…Why not?" he asked softly.

She shook her head and tried to breathe even. "Because I don't see you like that ok!" she said, blushing a dark red. "I have to go and start dinner. Mom's going to be late tonight." She jumbled out, hurrying past him. It was odd, she was ok with them both referring to her parents as mom and dad, but she couldn't see Akito as her brother. She knew why, and the thought made her heart ache with sorrow of what would never be. And as it usually did with her sorrow, it slowly turned to anger at how unfair the world was.

He watched her walk away, incredibly sad. Normally he would have asked her if she wanted help with dinner, but he didn't feel like being rejected any worse than he already had today.

Why didn't she accept him as her brother? Toshiro did. Satomi did. Gaara and Sakura thought of him as their son, and even the entire village referred to him as the Kazekage's son. But why wouldn't Natsumi? Her words didn't make sense. She thought of him as family, but not as her brother? It was just strange. What did she think of him as, her cousin?

Determination welled up inside him then. He would just have to work harder to make Natsumi see him as her brother. Because without her love, his family wasn't complete. And since he'd always wanted a family like hers, even when his father was alive, he would get it. Nothing would keep him from his goal, not when he was so close.

Those thoughts in mind, he went inside in order to get a quick shower while Natsumi was making dinner, plans on how to win her over forming in his head as he did so. It might take a while, but that was a challenge he was willing to take.


	9. Illicit

**Unsolicited**

_Chapter Nine_

-Illicit-

"Man I'm bored." Toshiro said, sounding just as unentertained as he was feeling. He sat on top of a wall separating the park from the street, his feet hanging over the edge. He was dressed in his chosen ninja attire, which was similar to his father's, only sleeveless and a bit shorter. "What do you want to do today?" the redhead asked his dark haired brother, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't know." Akito sighed, his eyes scanning the street in search of some kind of inspiration on what he and Toshiro should do. He was wearing a pair of black pants, a kunai holster strapped to his right thigh, and another one hanging loosely around his waist. He had on a black shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, its long sleeves pushed up to just above his elbows. "It's harder to find things to do now that we're older." He sighed, remembering the days they used to cause mayhem around the village.

The redhead nodded. "I know, now when we get caught in the red light district we don't just get a smack on the wrists." It was then that they both saw one of the boys they associated with run up, panting loudly. He had dark brown hair and nice brown eyes, fit for his age of seventeen.

"Sup Kazuya." Toshiro nodded to the man. He gave them a small wave and then took a sharp breath.

"I really want to ask Natsumi on a date. But I know you guys get all defensive when people take interest in your sisters. But please!" he begged. "She's so hot and so nice, just a date. I promise I won't try anything!"

The elder boy just frowned, looking repulsed by the thought. "My sisters are not hot. That's just gross."

Akito frowned as well, but for a different reason. Now that he thought about it, both Satomi and Natsumi had begun to develop really nicely. Especially Natsumi. She had amazing legs, narrow hips that encased a firm butt, a flat stomach, and pert little breasts that seemed like they'd be just enough to fill his hands with. Not to mention her sexy, sultry mouth, and dazzling eyes. She wasn't fully developed yet, but when she was, she would be a knockout. He could feel the stirrings of arousal as he thought more on the subject.

His eyes widened and he shook his head, quickly banishing the thoughts before his body could have a physical response to them. That would just be embarrassing, not to mention disgusting, since brothers were not supposed to have thoughts like that about their little sisters.

But back to the original question. This was bad. If he was noticing that Natsumi was attractive, surely other boys would too, and they would try and get her to go out with them, and he didn't want that. The thought of Natsumi with any man just made him want to kill something, though he didn't know why. But he figured it was just his brotherly protective instincts. He focused his gaze back on Kazuya.

"No." he said firmly.

"How come? I'm not a bad guy." The brunette frowned.

Toshiro laughed. "So? You're obviously insane since you find them attractive."

"But they are attractive." Kazuya protested. "Both of them are. Come on Akito, you're not blood related to them, so you can give an honest opinion. They're exceedingly beautiful, maybe even more so then Sakura-sama. They've got those nice growing breasts that are just…" he formed his hands as if groping boobs. Toshiro clamped his hands over his ears and yelled, continuing his loud noise in attempts not to hear his friend speak about his sister's as such.

"I'm not hearing this!"

Suddenly Kazuya was pinned against the wall that Akito had been leaning against, a hand clamped around his throat, and angry, fully developed sharingan glaring back at him. "You will _never_ speak of them that way ever again. Am I clear? Or I will make it so that you can never have children, nor enjoy the pleasures of sex." He growled.

"Akito?" they all heard a soft, but confused voice a bit away. "What are you doing?"

The Uchiha glanced over to see Natsumi, who looked beyond confused. And of course, as usual, she was wearing something amazingly alluring. Unfortunately for the dark haired man, his teammate had chosen to wear black shorts that covered only a little over the essentials and a black shirt that stopped a little below her bust, showing off her toned midriff. It was a V-neck and the sleeves just covered her shoulders. She'd even taken a liking to the knee high ninja shoes her mother wore.

"Natsumi." Toshiro said lowly, "I thought I told you not to dress so provocatively."

"Toshiro." She mimicked her brother. "I thought I told you not to be such a stick in the mud."

Akito looked at her, his red eyes widening. "I'm not doing anything." He said quickly, turning his face back in Kazuya's direction. Seeing where the brunette's gaze was directed, he tightened his grip around his throat. "Remember what I said." he reminded him lowly, throwing him away from the wall and making him stumble a bit.

"Crazy asshole." Kazuya muttered, running off before the Uchiha could make good on his threat.

Once he was gone Akito relaxed enough to allow his eyes to change back to their regular green. He faced Natsumi fully. "So what's up Natsumi?" he asked casually, as if all the previous things didn't just happen.

She stopped in front of him and smiled, trying not to laugh. "Having some issues?"

"He was defending your honor." Toshiro interjected, rolling his eyes as he leaned back on his hands. "Kazuya was talking all this crap and wanting to go out with you cause' you're hot. What a farcical thought."

"I am hot." Natsumi said with a small smirk, returning her gaze back to the dark haired teen. "Right Akito?"

Said boy's eyes widened. "Um…well…when looking at it from another person's perspective…" he began to rub the back of his neck nervously. "I mean, that is to say…you and Satomi both look really appealing…any guy would be lucky…yeah." He sighed, giving up in trying to say it in a way that wouldn't sound stupid.

The smile left the sixteen year old's face and she rolled her eyes, obviously displeased with his answer. "Whatever. See you losers later. And stop interfering in my life if you don't have a good excuse." She waved, passing them up and walking off.

"I don't need a good reason!" Toshiro called after her. "I'm your brother. It's my job to annoy you and ruin your life." He smirked looking pleased.

"And it's my job to make sure you stay innocent for the rest of your life!" Akito said, crossing his arms in a slight pout.

"You can try Akito!" she yelled back, sticking her tongue out at him.

"I will try!" he pointed a finger in the air. "Until I say so, you will never have sex. Ever!" he declared.

She stopped then and faced him, still far off, but close enough for him to hear. "Excuse me?!" Now she looked pissed. She glanced around and smirked, snapping and pointing to an attractive blonde that was with two of his friends. "You. Come on, let's go have sex. I'm _really_ horny!" she shouted so Akito could definitely hear.

"Seriously?" the blonde looked shocked but extremely happy.

"Why not?" Natsumi smirked, gesturing for him to join her.

Before anything else could happen, Akito was in front of her, and had scooped her up into his arms, leaping onto the back of a large hawk that he had summoned quickly. They flew off, and when they were over a secluded looking place, Akito jumped off and dismissed his summons, landing in an alleyway. He put Natsumi down and pressed her against the wall, placing a hand on either side of her head to block her in.

"That isn't funny Natsumi. You're supposed to save yourself for someone you truly love, not just some stranger." He said.

"Well I don't have that luxury, so _so-rry_." She glared up at him slightly, fighting down the blush that was so desperately wanting to be shown on her cheeks.

"Nonsense, everybody has that luxury." He said, then that gorgeous smirk of his came to his face. The one that made her want to melt. "Though, I am curious, as to how you know the true meaning of what being horny is." He cocked his head to the side and leaned a bit closer to her. "When have you ever been horny in your life?"

She scoffed, avoiding his gaze. Which was incredibly difficult. She hated, and loved, when he looked at her that way. "I've been horny plenty of times." She said softly, searching for anything on the ground to focus on. She was already remembering the times he'd come out of that steamy bathroom, the only thing hiding him from her gaze being a wet towel that was draped around his waist, teasing her. A shiver snaked its way up her spine. "You just haven't noticed."

He reached out and gently grasped her chin, making her look at him. "Then I guess I will just have to pay you more attention, so that I can see proof of this horniness." He smirked.

Natsumi smiled, a devious sparkle in her eyes. "Oh?" she lifted one of her hands, resting it on his chest. "How closely will you watch me?" she asked softly, something inside her stirring with want.

He leaned closer so that his mouth was next to her ear. "Like a hawk." He said lowly. His body was hyper-aware of her in this moment, especially the hand that was touching him. He tried to fight his feelings, but it was very difficult. Especially since nobody was around to see them.

"Well I'm not a hawk, so please," She leaned closer as well, her chest barely touching his. "Elaborate." She whispered into his ear, her breath tickling his skin. She wanted him so badly, him and no one else as it usually was. Because she had thoughts of him _all_ the time, naked and with her just as equally bare.

Akito shivered, but ignored the voice in his head telling him to stop as he placed his hand on her hip. "I will stick to you better than your shadow, Natsumi." He replied, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "You will never go anywhere where I do not know what you're doing." He smoothed his thumb over her hipbone, and marveled at how soft and smooth her skin was.

She smiled, pressing against him fully then. "Always?" she said, resting her forehead on his broad shoulders. "No matter what? And if I need…assistance?" she wondered, letting her hand slide down and feel his delicious abdomen.

"Don't I always say that I'm here for you _whenever_ you need me?" he asked, sliding his hand up her side, stopping just below where her shirt ended beneath her bust. "For _whatever_ reason?"

"Even if I want you to-"

"Natsumi?" they both heard, going wide eyed. "Akito? What are you guys doing?" a blonde girl asked, looking slightly similar to Natsumi in the facial features.

Natsumi stared in horror at her cousin. "Karin?"

"Got it." Akito stepped away from Natsumi, holding something imaginary between his fingers. "Natsumi had a bug on her, and I was getting it." he flicked the nonexistent insect away. "Problem solved." He sighed, dusting off his hands.

The pink haired girl stared up at him and then back to her blonde cousin who came closer. "Well that's a relief." Karin laughed, seeming to buy it. "We all know how much you hate bugs Natty."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, finally tearing her gaze from Akito and focusing on Karin. "Did you need something?"

Karin snapped her fingers and nodded. "Right. Akito, your dad's looking for you. Toshiro's freaking out apparently, so he wants you to come to the tower."

Akito rolled his eyes. "Geez, for someone who wants to be the next Kazekage, he sure is a pansy." He looked at Natsumi, lightly stroking her cheek. "Don't get into trouble." He said, before leaping onto the nearest roof and leaving the two girls.

She just rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and doing her best not to kill her cousin for ruining the almost most perfect moment of her life. "Come on Karin, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Sure." The girl smiled and walked with her elder as they headed into the streets.

* * *

Akito arrived at the Kazekage Tower in record time, leaping in through one of the windows, since he had been travelling by roof, not waiting to be called into the room, as was his custom. "What's up Dad?" he asked, walking over to where his redheaded brother was standing.

"Well…Toshiro says there's a problem."

"There is! Boys think Natsumi and Satomi are hot and this is just unacceptable."

Gaara stared at his blood son and tried not to laugh. "No offense Toshiro, but have you looked at them? Your sisters have grown into quite beauties and I think they get their voluptuous proportions from my side of the family. But don't tell your mother I said so, she'd have a cow." He snickered.

"Dad!" Toshiro gasped, going wide eyed. "Boys like them! And I can't watch Satomi every second of every day. I have a life too." He growled out.

The Kazekage shifted his bored jade depths to Akito and arched what could be a brow. "And Akito? Are you having trouble with Natsumi?"

"Not really." he shrugged. "There was an incident earlier, but I explained to her that she was being childish, and we discussed the proper protocol for her actions. Problem solved."

"And you see no further problems? Or are you under the same delusion as poor Toshiro?" the elder smirked.

Toshiro simply rolled his eyes. "They're my sisters. So it's impossible for me to find them attractive like that. That's just disgusting. Right Akito?" he smirked, glancing to his brother.

Akito blinked. It was disgusting? So, his thoughts about Natsumi were wrong, even though she wasn't his blood sister? And his actions. Oh God. He had been about to offer to relieve her of her sexual stress, in any way she wanted it. What had he been thinking? He hadn't been thinking, at least, not with the right head. Thank God Karin had interrupted them, because he probably would have taken her right there in the alleyway. God he was a sick human being. And in that moment, he loathed himself.

But, back to the question. One he needed to answer without lying, because somehow both redheads had the uncanny ability to tell when something was bothering you, or when you weren't completely telling the truth. And right now he needed to lie his ass off. "Well, it's not really a matter of attractiveness. I mean, you could easily say that Mom is pretty, and since Natsumi and Satomi take after her, it's no wonder that guys want to date them." He reasoned. "I bet Dad had trouble dealing with a few unwanted suitors when he was pursuing Mom, right Dad?" he asked.

"Very true." Gaara smirked, thinking of the men who had dared to try and steal his woman away, but then his jade depths returned back to Akito. "Toshiro leave us. Your mother is shopping right now for a special dinner. Why don't you go and help her?"

Toshiro blinked and looked somewhat confused. "Uh…okay." He said before exiting the room and leaving Akito alone with their father.

"So…" he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "What's on your mind?"

The last Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction. "What do you mean?" he asked innocently.

Gaara smirked, appearing amused. "Please Akito. You think you can lie to your dad? I know something's bothering you, and it only spiked when we started talking about the girls. Now what is it? Whatever it is, do not worry, just speak your mind. Inner turmoil is the worst thing for a man."

"Well…see…there's this girl." Akito began, looking to the redhead to gauge his reaction thus far.

"A girl, huh?" he just smiled, waiting for the young man he'd watched grown up to continue.

"Yeah." The ebony haired boy nodded. "And…I'm not sure exactly how I feel about her, but I know that the thought of her being with other guys upsets me, and that I'm attracted to her…physically that is. But…it's wrong."

This seemed to surprise the Kazekage and he frowned. "How come it's wrong? Is she with someone else?"

"No. I don't really want to go into details, but if people knew what I felt for her…the things I think about doing to her…bad things would happen." Akito said, appearing uncomfortable, though if he weren't talking to Gaara, nobody else would see his discomfort.

"What's her name?"

"I can't tell you that." He said, his discomfort being replaced with seriousness.

Gaara frowned, now looking worried. "Akito…" he said. "I'm not going to push it. But you promise that everything is alright and you're not doing anything dangerous?" he asked, fearing that his son had gotten involved with someone dangerous.

"Well, it has the potential to become dangerous." Akito admitted. "If I can't control myself…or if people find out. And this girl is kinda crazy."

"Is she a bad girl?" the redhead asked.

"Occasionally. But that's part of what attracts me to her."

"Is she a threat to Suna?" Gaara asked, trying not to smirk. He was actually glad the stoic son of his was interested in a female.

"No, she supports Suna with her life." He said.

The sand master nodded then and smiled. "Well alright then." He gestured for him to leave. "You are excused. See you at home."

"Alright, see you later Dad." Akito said, going over to the window and leaping out of it. Maybe it was a habit he had picked up from Kakashi on his visits to the village to teach him about his sharingan, or new lightning techniques, but he did prefer coming and going that way. On another not, he couldn't believe his dad hadn't pushed for the name of the cause of all his problems. It was a pleasant surprise though, because he could only imagine what the redheaded Kazekage's reaction to that would be. Shuddering at the thought, he made his way home, still feeling guilty for what he had almost done to Natsumi.


End file.
